Game Show Hiatus
by DymondGold
Summary: I know this plot has been run into the ground, but I promise if you give this a read you won't be sorry, and if you are, well, you can hold me personally accountable and spam the heck out of my inbox. Okay don't do that. Is this a real summary? Probably not. Just check out the story, you'll have a good time. *Oh, and I should warn you, there's a lot of violence and cursing*
1. Chapter 1

**As you all probably noticed, Soul Mates is on a bit of a hiatus. To break my writer's block, I've concocted this story, it is not near-novel length like Strangled. Just something quick and light to get the creative gears grinding again. **

**It's crack, only taking into account the events from Strangled and the attitudes of the characters in that universe. So don't take this too seriously and as always, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I'm embarrassing the real owners of the MK franchise with this piece: Mr. Boon, Tobias, Vogel, and the crew, forgive me. **

* * *

**Day One**

* * *

Surviving the boat ride from Hong Kong had been their first test. For the eighteen individuals gathered on the shores of the Sea of Blood, that journey had been an arduous and trying one. For some, familiarity had been re-established and a loose sense of civility had been sparked. But for others, old hatreds had been revived and bitterness had been rekindled. Now, just after sunset, they'd arrived at their destination and were eager to get their luggage, and themselves, settled in for the evening.

"So...what now?"

It was a short-haired, tawny-skinned woman who'd asked the question that was on everyone's minds. No one had an answer for her, as they were wondering the same thing themselves. However, her husband and traveling companion began to take a gander at the matter.

"Do you have the informative letter?" the shaman asked.

She rolled her eyes and replied, "No. I left it in that auto movile thing. Besides, it wasn't all that informative anyways."

"You're right about that," One of her closest friends put in.

The blonde that had spoken rubbed her temple irritably. It had been a long day for her. First she had to deal with things down at OIA, turning down mission invitations that she really, deep down, wanted to be a part of and filing some last minute paperwork to help out an old friend. The missions shouldn't have been offered to her in the first place, seeing as how she'd told her superiors ahead of time that she'd be taking this trip. And as for the paperwork, well, she lost a bet and was never known to be a sore loser. Not usually. Now add to all that the trip on that rickety boat with a creepy old sorcerer undressing her with his eyes for the majority of the ride and you've got one exhausted lieutenant.

She glanced over at her C.O., who was faring a bit better than her. It wasn't as hard for him to leave the office as it was for her, and he also didn't have to deal with someone decades older than him giving him dirty leers.

"This place is a dump," A seemingly young man sneered.

In truth the handsome royal was centuries old, as was the sorceress under his arm: said woman narrowed her glowing white eyes and nodded in agreement with her long-time lover, much to the woman's ire next to them.

"You two are the main reason it's come to such a state." the Princess spoke sharply.

She wanted to say more to the two traitors, but a gentle hand found its way into the crook of her elbow.

"Kitana, let it go," She told her, though she didn't fail to glare at the female under the prince's arm.

The former bodyguard herself wanted to throttle the dark-skinned sorceress. She turned instead to sneak a glance over at a pair of Shaolin warriors, the one wearing a large hat being of her particular interest. Right then they were also speaking of such restraint.

"We all came here for our own reasons," this Shaolin explained, "I think we should see what he's about before we just attack. He could be here just to compete."

"And if he's not," His friend spoke, "If he makes one wrong move, I'm going after him."

The champion of Earthrealm averted his eyes from the immortal that served as the bane of his existence and looked over his shoulder. There, the Emperor of Outworld himself, er, themselves stood silently beside their wraith of a cohort.

**"Is he here?" **the host asked.

"From what I can see, that looks like him now." The wraith responded.

He wasn't the only one to have noticed the infamous thunder god approaching. The more people began to see that distinctive white hat, the quieter they got. Soon they were graced by not only his presence, but that of two other 'deities' as well. The three beings stood in front of the crowd and waited until they had everyone's attention before they began to speak.

_They are...really weird-looking, _thought the blonde lieutenant. She knew the thunder god-who didn't? But the other two were strange indeed. One of them wore a heavy burgundy cloak and had the head of a bare skeleton, that is, if skeleton skulls had spikes sticking out from it. The other one didn't look that abnormal, now that she gave him a second glance. He reminded her of a kindly old father, with his white-beard and mustache and compassionate dark eyes.

"Welcome to the island," The thunder god spoke, "I trust your journey was a pleasant one?"

Cue resounding '_no's_', _'not really'_s', and '_can we get this over with'_s'. The god made a small coughing noise in response.

"Well," He continued, "As some of you might already know, I am Raiden, god of thunder. Beside me is Kochal, god of chaos."

He pointed to the skull-headed being to his left, who lit his head afire in what he thought was a friendly greeting: it only served to freak out half the people in the crowd.

"And this is Argus, god of Edenia." Raiden introduced in reference to the being at his right.

"_Former _god of Edenia." An insolent male voice called out.

If Argus heard his youngest son's jibe, he didn't show it. Instead, he gave a short wave to the other individuals.

"The three of us will be serving as judges to this contest-" Raiden then said.

"What is this contest anyway?" A young cryomancer cut in as politely as he could.

The enenra beside him added, "The letter we received didn't really explain it all that well."

Raiden didn't seem to mind the interruption as he stated, "In short, it's a 6-week opportunity for you to earn millions of koins for yourself or a party of interest."

"Yeah, I kinda' figured that much," A former female assassin retorted, "Otherwise I wouldn't have hauled ass all the way to China to get here."

The shaman beside her revised, "What she meant was, could you elucidate on the subject please?"

Again, the thunder god took no offense at having been cut off. He merely straightened his amulet and answered their questions.

"You all received invitations for this contest and obviously accepted them. At this point, provided you follow the rules, you have the chance to compete for the grand monetary prize."

"What are the rules?" A strange voice hissed.

"Good question Reptile," Raiden praised generically, "Care to tell them, Kochal?"

"Not particularly." The god of chaos replied.

_"That thing can talk?" _someone in the crowd whispered in awe.

"_That thing _can also hear," Kochal snapped, "And if you want to get anywhere in this contest you worthless sacks of flesh, you'd better respect us judges."

Raiden chuckled and said, "Uh, I'll take it from here Kochal. The rules are simple and must be abided by during the entire 6-week period, starting tonight. They are as follows..."

And then he began the list of do's and don'ts for the contest. The don'ts were many, and included the prohibition of leaving the island, purposeful elimination, and death threats to fellow contestants and/or judges. Fatalities, brutalities, babalities, animalities, and lewd behavior was not permitted, nor was any type of vandalism towards the island.

"Cheating is absolutely acceptable," Raiden told everyone.

That caused a few eyebrows to raise in confusion.

Kochal added, "Unless you manage to get caught. Then it's your ass."

"Er, so long as you are undiscovered," Raiden continued, "You may lie, cheat, steal, and yes maim, _maim, _not _kill, _other players."

"Betrayal, deceit, and underhanded dealings are completely alright," Argus amended, looking at his youngest in disapproval.

"You may make deals with each as well at any point in the contest," Raiden said, "But it is the word of the judges that ultimately supersede all agreements."

"What if we break any of these rules?" That former assassin asked with her hands on her hips.

"Don't." Kochal advised curtly.

Raiden's answer for her was, "Punishment for any offense will come in the form of a public flogging, or, if the guilty party so chooses, dismissal from the contest."

There was a murmuring in the crowd at this. Raiden raised his hand palm-first to quiet them once more. He was not done just yet.

"There is one more thing I must inform you of." He said, then beckoned someone near.

Over the hill behind the sandy shore came a young man in a red polo and slacks, toting a camera over his shoulder. He came and stood near the three judges.

"This mortal, Jimmy Aames, is from a university in Earthrealm," Raiden explained, "he'll be filming parts of the contest for his...Digital Media, was it?"

The camera guy nodded exuberantly, then waved awkwardly at the crowd.

"Yes, his Digital Media course. Periodically he may take you aside for a short interview."

"Why are we being filmed?"

"What's a camera?"

"This wasn't in the invitation letter!"

"Will I get paid for this?"

Kochal silenced the sudden outbursts with, "Humor him or go home."

That quelled everyone's bout of loquaciousness. All except one person, who would never turn down an opportunity to voice his complaints.

"Can we go to our rooms now?" That demigod griped.

Far away from him, a malevolent host rolled their luminescent green eyes in disgust, muttering something about a 'whiny little punk'.

"What rooms?" Raiden asked with an amused twitch to his pale mouth.

The demigod wasn't the only one confused, for the others saw a row of decent-sized huts lined up further inland along the beach. Raiden glanced behind him as if seeing these huts for the first time and chuckled.

"Ooh, you mean _these _rooms," He said, "Well I'm sorry, but you'll have to earn them first."

"What do you mean?" The blonde lieutenant asked warily.

She'd had enough stress for one day and was among those wanting to go and rest. But it would seem the thunder god had other ideas.

"For your first challenge," He stated, "You must survive in those woods back there for seven days and seven nights."

"What?"

"What?"

"_What?!" _

The contestants were equally distressed or outraged at this news. Spend a week in the treacherous forest beyond the Sea of Blood? That was more than they'd bargained for. But most, if not all of them, were seasoned in the ways of enduring harsh terrain and brutal conditions, so this might be a walk in the park. An inconvenient one, though. Like a walk in the park when it was raining and dog poop was everywhere.

"You will each have three flags strapped onto your person," Raiden continued, "Whoever loses all three of theirs must leave the forest and return here."

"The first three out will be eliminated from the contest." Kochal inputted.

"And on the last day, whoever has the most flags will win." Argus said.

"What will we get if we win?" the Edenian body guard asked.

Across from her, the white-eyed sorceress smirked and said, "Why are you asking? It's not like you'll be the one."

"I'm sorry, was I talking to you?" the staff-bearing woman replied tersely.

Kochal was the god of chaos; he knew the makings of a cat-fight when he saw one brewing. That's why he chose not to cut in.

But Raiden did, saying, "The winner gets to choose their own team."

"Team?" One of the Shaolin monks asked, "We have to work in teams?"

"Yes," Argus answered, "Teams of three. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Uh, for me, yes!" that feisty wife of the shaman declared, "I work better alone and I'm damn sure not splitting the prize money with anybody."

"Get over yourself," the demigod called to her, "it's not like anybody wants to work with you anyway, hag."

"How about you shut the hell up?" She spat.

"Everyone, please, calm down!" Raiden implored.

Kochal nodded and said, "Yes, you can tear each other limb from limb _after _you get in the woods."

"That's not what I..." Raiden just sighed.

One of the Shaolin monks rose his voice above all others, for he had a pretty relevant question that seemed to quiet the rest of the players.

"What about our luggage?" The champion asked, "We have to take it into the woods with us?"

"Yes, so I hope you packed light!" Kochal smirked, much to everyone's horror, for it appeared unnatural on a skeleton's 'face'.

From the subsequent groans, a lot of the players had not.

"Now if you would please wait a moment, you'll all recieve your flags." Raiden said.

And once everyone had gotten the white strips of silk, they were free to head into the forest and begin their first challenge. Along the way, Jimmy tried to catch up with them and get them to say a few words for the camera. He nearly tripped over his own two sneakers as he made haste, plowing through the dirty sand to get to the two most interesting figures he could find. He had to nearly power-walk to keep up with them.

"Could you tell us who you two are?" He asked smoothly.

**"No. Go away." **the host replied.

"Oh. Okay," Jimmy shrugged, "I guess I will. I'll go right over to that thunder dude and let him know how 'cooperative' you guys are being."

The host then stopped and rounded on the young man. Their glare nearly made Jimmy pee his pants, but he held his ground and shakily aimed the camera at the fearsome being.

_**We can't get eliminated right now,** _the host knew, so they decided to humor the annoying mortal.

**"Alright you peon," **they barked, **"make this quick." **

"Could you introduce yourselves?"

The wraith saw his cohort in a mood and decided to speak for the both of them.

"I'm Noob Saibot, current and forever ruler of the Netherrealm." He said, "And this is my friend-"

The host glowered at him.

"Er, ally, Ermac; he's the Emperor of Outworld."

"Cool," Jimmy remarked, "So you guys are like, uh, entrepreneurs?"

"Something like that." Noob chuckled.

"Have you known each other long?" Jimmy asked.

"For quite some time," Noob answered.

Jimmy said, "Besides being evil, I mean you are evil right?"

"Quite." Noob replied proudly.

"Besides being evil, do you have any common interests?" the camera man asked.

**"No." **Ermac responded brusquely.

"Do you think you'll win?" Jimmy then asked the host, eager to get a word out of him.

**"Obviously, you twit, otherwise we wouldn't be here." **The Emperor sneered.

Ermac then stalked off towards the forest like everyone else. Noob just scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"You'll have to excuse him," He said, "Ermac's not much of a...people-person."

"I see." Jimmy said slowly.

Then, as the wraith sauntered off behind his ally, the young man shook his head. _Well they sure are a 'lively' pair. Hopefully not everyone is as camera-shy as that moody one. _

* * *

**A/N: And so begins this new project. I'm trying to get a feel for all the characters again, so go ahead and tell me what you think so far. **

**Also, do you know who everyone is? Any guesses as to who might be going home next chapter? Who are you rooting for? And everyone is fair game, the winner won't be based on skill or importance or anything so leave your bets! **

**~DymondGold~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Still here? **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**Survival Week: Day One**

* * *

"Are you sure no one will mess with it?"

"Pretty sure."

That was the best answer Sonya Blade could give her Commanding Officer. The spot deep within a group of bushes was where they'd decided to hide their luggage. She hoped the black suitcases would be safe but she couldn't be totally sure. Jax seemed to understand and, with her, they began to move on.

"This is the best place to be," her partner told her, "Right near that creek up ahead."

"Yeah," She agreed, "All we have to worry about now is surviving."

The two of them had decided that the prize of picking their own team was not worth the effort nor the risk of being eliminated from the contest. They were trying to win the money for the same cause; several communities in New York had been hard-hit by the numerous invasions, especially the latest fiasco with Quan Chi. If they won that money, those people could start rebuilding their neighborhoods, their lives, and get back to normal.

Sonya scratched at her ear and glanced around. So far, on this first morning of their challenge, she hadn't seen a soul. She knew the others were out there, though, and she would have to be ready to defend those silk strips of cloth at her waist.

"We'd better hide these." She advised of her partner.

He nodded in agreement and also said, "I'll be back. I'm gonna' go fill these bottles at the creek."

"Make sure you sterilize the water afterwards," She called out to him as he left.

* * *

_What is that noise? _

Jax frowned as he bent over the water, capping the lid on the last of his and Sonya's water bottles warily. It wasn't the sounds of the bubbling creek he was hearing. No, he couldn't get that soft, hissing noise out his head. But now that he was trying to concentrate on it, he could no longer hear it.

"Oh well," he shrugged. "It was probably nothing."

But he was still on his guard as he stood from the dirt ground and shifted the plastic bottles to one arm. With his free hand, he dusted off his black pants and started walking back towards the clearing he and Sonya were stationed at.

A branch snapped behind him, making him freeze.

_Okay, somebody else is definitely here, _he thought. He abruptly turned and searched the area for the intruder but there was no one around. Again he began walking, but this time he suspected he was being followed, so it wasn't towards his partner he strode. The further he trekked, the more pronounced this stranger's presence became, and Jax couldn't take it anymore. He stopped and turned around swiftly once more.

Now he was deep in a clustered part of the forest and yet, as he gazed around, he still saw no one.

"Who's there?" He called. "Come on out, already!"

His white flags were hanging out of his pocket, all three of them. He hadn't gotten around to concealing them as Sonya had suggested as of yet. As a result, they were in plain sight, easily accessible to this unseen foe. When Jax felt them leave his person in a clean swipe, he swung his free arm out defensively.

"What are you, invisible?" He shouted.

Having stolen what he wanted, this new foe prepared to leave but Jax wasn't having that: He dropped to one knee, brought his fist high in the air and then slammed it down onto the ground, creating an undulating waver in the soft dirt earth. That's when his enemy was revealed. There, struggling to regain his balance, was a reptilian creature garbed in sparse black clothing.

"So there you are," Jax frowned, "You think you can just sneak in here and steal from me?"

Reptile tried to run but Jax threw back his arm and tossed a violet projectile from the device on his forearm. The beam of energy caught the creature in his back and he fell to the ground. But he didn't stay there.

Jax stalked towards him, dropping the water bottles to the ground, and cracked his knuckles. He wasn't just going to get his own three flags back, no, he was gonna' get a little something extra, too.

Reptile scurried on all fours up a tree and launched himself feet-first at the major, wrapping his arms around Jax's neck in a hold. The major grunted and stumbled around with the raptor on his back, trying to keep breathing as the creature's grip steadily tightened.

_Oh no you don't, _Jax thought. He swung his body around and slammed backwards into the trunk of a nearby tree, effectively knocking Reptile's head against the bark and causing him to lose his grasp. Then Jax faced the Saurian and prepared to throttle him.

Out of defense, Reptile parted his scaly lips and spewed hot acid right at the major's face, making him cry out and clutch his burning face. With him incapacitated, Reptile made off with the extra three flags. Along the way, his body morphed, changed from that of a Saurian to that of an able-bodied, black-haired sorcerer.

* * *

In another part of the woods, the taciturn being with scaled skin and golden eyes shivered. He'd just had a weird chill run up his spine and he didn't know why. Reptile brushed the feeling off and continued in his current task.

When he'd received his invitation, he was somewhat surprised. He was known as a peon, the last of a dead race, good for nothing more than serving the will of others. But that letter had promised him something, and though he knew money would fix everything, it was a powerful tool in getting what he wanted; and what he wanted was to see his people roam the land of Zaterra once more.

_If I have to bribe someone into helping me, so be it, _the Saurian thought to himself.

Right now he was invisible, traveling about six or seven paces behind that female Shokan whose name escaped him. He knew she was some kind of jailer under the reign of Kahn, but he never said two words to her in his life. Therefore, he had no qualms about stalking her and stealing from her.

She must have known something was up, because she stopped suddenly and glanced around. Her subsequent shrug let him know he hadn't been discovered, not yet. She was traveling alone, with those white flags hanging from the waistband of her, er, costume. Reptile swallowed hard and knew he had to act quickly.

Sheeva stopped once more, this time because the entire forest was bathed in a golden glow, signifying that someone had been eliminated. She wondered briefly who it could be that was out already: the first day wasn't even over yet.

While Sheeva hoisted that leather sack on her shoulder up higher, Reptile skulked towards her. His heart pounded as he crouched down right beside her, inching his hand over to her thigh. He used the tips of two of his claws to carefully pinch one of those silk cloths, and then he coated his fingers in acid and burned the flag free.

She didn't notice a thing.

Well, not at first. As Reptile pulled back with the extra flag in hand, Sheeva stiffened. She looked down at her side and that's when the Saurian made a run for it.

"What?" She frowned in confusion, "Where did my..."

Since Reptile wasn't making any effort to muffle the sound of his hasty retreat, Sheeva heard the tell-tale noises of leaves crunching underfoot and ran in that direction.

_Who took my flag already?_ She wondered, _They must have been fast, I didn't even see them! I still don't see them! _

At that she slowed in her chase and huffed. _One flag isn't that bad, _she thought, _at least now I know to pay more attention. If I'm going to win this petty contest, I'll have to get serious. I need that money to restore the Shokan territory that Quan Chi ruined. _

It was then that Reptile looked back and saw that she was sticking the remaining two silk flags in between her bosom. Now, if he tried to steal them, he'd risk losing a hand or worse.

_Besides, _he shuddered, _no way do I want her flags **that **badly._

* * *

Hunger struck early for the two Grand Masters. That ache in their stomachs drove them towards the easiest source of sustenance, that being the giant lake somewhere in the middle of the forest. Both of the young leaders were decent fishermen and had garnered enough for a meal in no time. So as the sun's height in the sky was on the decline, they sat near the murky shores and took their first meal of the day.

Tomas was the first to finish, having not eaten much at all. He stared contemplatively out at the placid waters while his childhood friend continued to eat next to him.

"How do you think they're doing?" He asked wistfully.

Kuai glanced over and asked, "The clan?"

"Yeah." Smoke nodded, "Do you think they're okay without us there?"

"They're fine," Kuai assured him. "And they'll be even better once one of us wins this money."

* * *

After the sun had reached its peak in the sky, Sonya saw her C.O. sauntering towards her. He was smirking, which was weird, and he was empty-handed; even weirder.

"What kept you?" She asked him.

He shrugged and said, "I had an altercation with another player."

She then noticed the flags in his pocket. There were way more than just three.

"How did you get all those?" She asked him.

He said, "I got them from the other player I ran into."

"So that was why the gold light covered the forest?" She probed.

Jax nodded and said, "Yes. The other player has been eliminated."

"Why are you talking like that?" She frowned, "And who was the other player?"

"Does it matter?" He replied simply. "The important thing is, we've got more flags."

Sonya blinked and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She lowered the brim on her cap and gazed at her C.O. She felt as if she were missing something, as if he was not quite...

"I guess you're right." She said at last. "So what are we going to do about food?"

"I'm already ahead of you," Jax said, sounding more like himself. "There's a lake somewhere around. I'll go and scope out the area, see if it's clear."

"I'll come with you." She offered.

"No," He told her, "You stay here. That way, all our flags won't be in one place."

"...Are you sure we shouldn't stick together?" Sonya quirked a brow.

"Yeah, I'm just going to check it out." He stated, "I won't be long."

"Alright. If you say so." She acceded.

* * *

"Alright, that should do it."

The white-eyed sorceress finished in her task of securing the area just under the jagged plateau of rocky land that she and her companion were inhabiting for the time being. Unlike the others, she and the demigod had chosen to stay closer towards the edge of the forest, almost out of it. Through the sparse veil of bony, stripped trees she could see the Sea of Blood still.

"What did you do?" Rain asked her.

Tanya came to sit beside him where he had his back to the diminutive cliff behind them. He had his legs spread out and was staring at the crimson sea longingly, sort of like how he stared at any body of water. She knew it was his element and that he probably wanted to be out there, showing off his moves.

"I placed wards around the area." She answered him, "Now no one will bother us."

"And what about our stuff?" he then asked.

Tanya smirked and amended, "You mean _your _stuff? It's safe."

She glanced at the three cases of luggage and shook her head. She was a woman and she hadn't packed nearly as much as he. It was as if he'd brought along a different outfit for each day of the month: sometimes even she wondered about him.

"Did you find out who got eliminated?" Rain asked.

Tanya gazed at her nails and told him, "Yeah, some Earthrealmer."

"Tch. Figures," the prince scoffed. "It's barely evening and already one of them are gone."

"What'd you expect?" Tanya shrugged. "The only real competition here is that host and maybe Bi-Han."

* * *

It was getting dark and Jax still wasn't back yet. He hadn't even hit her up on his two-way to let her know if he was alright. She knew this was only a contest, but Sonya was beginning to worry. That's why she forsook their luggage and headed off to find him. It wasn't long before she ran into someone else, though.

"Hey."

"Hey," She greeted in return to the young woman she'd befriended.

Mileena bent over and scratched at her slender legs, and that's when Sonya saw them: tied tightly around one of the belt loops of her cutoff corduroy shorts were her three white flags. They fluttered in the light breeze against the bare skin of her thigh. She stood back up and wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Where are you going?" Mileena asked.

"Towards the lake." Sonya replied, fanning herself.

"I just came from there," Mileena said.

"Oh, did you see anybody?" Sonya wanted to know.

Mileena shook her head. "There wasn't anybody there-oh wait! I saw a man with black hair and a woman with, uh, long white hair."

"I don't think that was a woman." Sonya surmised.

"Huh?" Mileena blinked.

"Never mind." The lieutenant spoke.

From the way she described them, there was only one person in the contest with white hair, other than Raiden, and he was not a female.

Mileena asked her then, "Have you seen Nightwolf?"

"No, I haven't." Sonya admitted, "I thought you two would keep close."

"I should have," The other girl remarked, "He's the one who brought the food."

Sonya smirked because she knew that wasn't the only reason Mileena was seeking out the Chief.

She then asked, "Have you seen Jax?"

"That big dude? Your partner?"

"Yup."

"I don't know for sure," she stated, "But I heard he got eliminated."

"What?"

"First one out." Mileena added, "But that's just what I heard from getting around today."

"That can't be," She frowned. "The light that shone in the woods, the judges said it would happen as soon as the person lost all three of their flags. They said it was a message to let everyone know when the first three people have been eliminated."

"Yeah, so." Mileena spoke.

"So I don't understand," Sonya continued, "That light shone early this afternoon, but afterwards I saw Jax again."

"Are you sure it was him you saw?" Mileena frowned.

And there it was. The oddness finally made sense to her. She pulled off her cap and ran a hand through her hair. _It was him, I should have known. That's why he seemed to be acting weird, it wasn't Jax, it was Shang. _

"Are you alright?" Mileena asked.

Sonya nodded, "Yeah. I've just been duped is all."

"Ah. Well. It is a contest." the other woman declared, "And foul play was basically encouraged by the judges."

"Yes you're right." Sonya said with narrowed eyes.

She started off in a new direction then, intent on giving the sorcerer a taste of his own bitter medicine. She knew it was a contest but she didn't trust Shang Tsung and she was nearly positive that he was using this opportunity for some ulterior means.

* * *

**A/N: Uh, should I stop now?**

**Lol. Be honest everyone and tell me if this is alright, or too boring, or utter crud, or whatever. The point is for me to write interesting things again so if this story is dull so far, please tell me! I appreciate any and all feedback :)**

~DymondGold~


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**Survival Week: Day Three**

* * *

Gentle waves, twin to the ones roiling on the opposite side of the forest, bounced over each other in the late 6

morning light. The bright blue, clear waters of the Sea of Pormissus were in stark contrast to that of the Sea of Blood to the north of the Wastelands island. As calm and serene as the sea seemed, the princess observing it knew better; this was nothing compared to how beautiful it used to be. So vibrant and fresh-looking.

She sighed, saying, "This is the only portion of Edenia I fear won't be restored."

Beside her, Jade patted her hand. "It will be. The money will help."

"How can it?" Kitana wondered.

"More money equals more jobs. More jobs equals more workers to come and rebuild here," Jade explained.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Kitana smiled faintly.

"It's nearly noon," Jade spoke, "We should change locations."

"Alright," Kitana nodded, "Let's get our things."

Her former bodyguard stood and headed over to the shores of the water, and Kitana followed. She and her friend got on their knees in the sand and began to dig. So preciously manicured were the princess's nails, for the occasion of the contest only, but they were soon jagged and full of sand as she worked. Jade, too, felt the grains building under her nails as she wore away at the earth. Soon their fingers brushed past the lacquered surface of the chests that was their luggage, and after they'd hauled those up, they felt for the silk pieces of cloths8. Their flags were indeed still there.

Well, some of them were.

"I don't understand," Kitana frowned, sitting back on her heels.

Jade narrowed her eyes. "How could this have happened? We were here the whole time!"

"Perhaps while we were sleeping..." The princess mused, though she was grasping at straws.

"No." Jade stated, "We would've noticed; we slept in shifts, remember?"

Kitana did remember, but that only served to agitate her further. Because if they'd been so careful, how in the world were they missing two of their six flags?

* * *

"Did you hear that?"

The way the hat-clad monk stood rooted to the spot, a stricken look on his face, Liu Kang would say that his friend had, indeed, heard the blood-curdling scream. It sounded like a woman, not too far from where they were.

"Jade," Kung Lao breathed, "She's in trouble."

"It could be a trap." Liu warned.

"It could be a cry for help!" Kung Lao countered, "I know that voice, it's Jade."

"I don't know about this, Kung Lao," Liu spoke warily.

"Liu, she sounds hurt!" Kung Lao insisted.

"I know," the dragon warrior stated, "But you heard about Major Briggs."

"That may have been a rumor." Kung Lao remarked slowly.

"Or it could've been true," Liu reasoned. "Why take the risk?"

Kung Lao tightened his fingers around the straps of his knapsack and thought pensively for a moment. Finally he set his eyes and raised his chin.

"I'll be back," He told his best friend.

* * *

It was the bright, noon-day sun that woke the prince. He blinked against the light and rolled onto his side on the ground. It took him a moment to gain his bearings.

"Tani?" He croaked tiredly.

The demigod looked around but the powerful sorceress was nowhere to be found. Nor was his luggage: and upon patting himself down, two of his three flags were missing as well.

* * *

Sonya was getting frustrated. She had yet to see 'Jax' again, which only cemented her belief that she'd been duped by the sorcerer. She was on the prowl, trying to find him all day yesterday and this morning, much was the same case. However, it wasn't Shang Tsung she eventually met up with.

As the lieutenant broke through one particular clearing, she saw the top of someone's head as they climbed out from a human-sized fox-hole. This person was far from human, though.

"Great," She muttered, "Just what I need."

To be fair, Scorpion didn't seem too happy to see her either. He had only just planted his feet on the dewy grass when his body slipped into that offensive stance. Sonya cursed her luck; _oh wonderful! Not only do I have to stumble upon one of the angriest men, er, spectres in the universe, but now he wants to fight. _

Sonya would not disappoint. She readied herself for combat by rolling her neck and spreading her legs apart evenly.

"Small talk?" she tried, just for kicks.

Scorpion turned his head to the left in the smallest of ways before lunging for her. Spryly she avoided him, twisting her body to the left and then coming up behind him. The spectre threw a punch her way, which she foolishly caught, not realizing how fiery his fists were. She bit her cheek against the sting of his skin and pulled him towards her, then brought her knee up into his chin.

Scorpion rubbed his jaw and flipped backwards, nearly catching her with the whip of fire that spurned from his feet. Sonya righted herself just as he shot that hellish spear from his split palm.

_"Get over here!" _

"I think not!" The woman smirked, hurling her body horizontally so that she cart-wheeled out of the way.

Sonya launched a projectile of her own, blasting the spectre square in the chest. He flailed backwards but skidded to a halt and then popped a squat. The fire that swelled in his clasped hands had come from nowhere, and Sonya had time enough to fall flat against the ground before he shot it towards her.

She felt as if the clothes were going to be singed right off her back from the intensity of the fiery deluge. Her cheek burned, the one that wasn't pressed against the moist ground that is, and she had to grit her teeth and shut her eyes. Finally, when he'd exhausted his flames, Scorpion came over to her. In her pocket, dangling free, was one of her flags. It was only exposed because she'd been bribing people, like Kuai Liang, into telling her where Shang Tsung was. The fact that it was still in her pocket spoke of how much success she'd been having.

Scorpion bent over the prone woman and plucked it from the side of her hip, then bowed as if she'd done him a kindness. Sonya coughed and stood shakily to her feet, then balled her fists at her sides.

"Didn't you hear?" She cried, "You're not supposed to kill other players!"

"I have killed no one." Scorpion spoke with his back to her.

"Yeah, because I hit the deck fast enough," She spoke, "What if I hadn't? That was an attempt on my life! I could...I could report you!"

Scorpion stiffened. He turned his head a bit and set those white-hot eyes on her. Sonya might have shivered on the inside, but outwardly she stood her ground. He wouldn't kill her. This was a contest. He wouldn't take her life for millions of koins, would he?

No.

Scorpion just relaxed his shoulders and hopped back down that fox-hole he'd come from. She rolled her eyes but couldn't count this experience as a loss. She'd taken a chance threatening him like that, she was lucky he hadn't decided to come at her.

_He must really need that money, _she realized.

* * *

As he'd suspected, the cry had to have come from the woman hunched over on the ground. Her long black hair was loose and pooled around her as she sat on a log, holding her knees to her chest like a small child. Her sobs resounded in his ears and broke his heart. Yes, he'd developed something of an...infatuation with her, and so it ate at him to hear those cries.

When he reached her, the Shaolin laid a hand gently on her shaking shoulder.

"Jade?" He asked softly, "Are you hurt?"

The woman peeked over her shoulder and gazed at him, and that's when Kung Lao stopped short. Those eyes were darker than he remembered. That alone made him question what was going on. This grown woman, who he knew to be resilient and battle-wearied, was she crying in the middle of the woods; what on earth had happened? Where was the princess? Why was she alone? He suddenly began to hear Liu's words in his head.

_It could be a trap _

The woman grinned cruelly and said, "You should have listened to your friend, _Kung Lao_."

And with that she cupped his face in her hands and slammed her forehead into his. Unprepared, he felt the full force of the blow. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body slumped to the ground. The woman was upon him in an instant, rummaging through his knapsack and then through his pants pockets when she didn't find what she was looking for.

"But of course!" She suddenly cried.

She wrenched off his hat and there, in the bowl of the accessory, were the three white silk pieces of cloth. Having snatched them, the woman stood, transforming along the way. When 'she' was fully on her feet, she turned out to be a 'he'. The sorcerer, Shang Tsung.

* * *

He was up to nine of them, nine flags in all. This was shaping up to be a pretty good day for him. So long as he remained invisible, the Saurian found he could get away with pretty much anything. That was how he managed to accrue three times the amount of cloth he'd initially started with.

However.

Invisibility was not to be confused with invincibility: haplessly, Reptile's good fortune had come to an end when he fell into a very deep pit.

It was a trap, lain for him and all others that weren't wise enough to look where they were putting their foot down. He hadn't been paying attention, so he didn't see the obvious pile of branches meant to disguise that gaping black hole he'd fallen in. And how far he'd fallen: it felt as if he'd broken something on the way down. As if this weren't bad enough, he then found himself being laughed at.

**"Well, well, well," **the malevolent voice chuckled, **"What have we here?" **

* * *

Liu was worried. Not once, but twice that bright golden light had flooded the forest, meaning that two more people had been eliminated. And as much as he hated to admit it, he feared his best friend may be one of them. As he strode anxiously through the woods, he happened upon his friend's knapsack lying ravaged beside a log. That confirmed it. Kung Lao was gone.

Gone home, that is.

It was disappointing. Liu had wanted to have his friend with him, but he supposed this was bound to happen: there could only be one winner. And besides, they were earning the money for the same cause, to support the Wu Shi Academy.

Liu picked up the remains of Kung Lao's luggage and shouldered the bag. He just hoped his brother in arms hadn't been hurt before his departure.

* * *

"Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"

"I know-"

"I feared you may have been eliminated or worse!"

"Well, I'm not, so-"

"And with Ermac and Shang Tsung in the midst, I thought surely you'd been hurt!"

"Nightwolf!" The young woman suddenly snapped, "Chill. Out. I am _fine._"

Said shaman held onto his wife's shoulders and gazed at her critically, as if trying to ascertain whether or not she truly was okay. When he'd been convinced, he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"You know how much I worry about you, denhoze." He murmured.

She sighed but hugged him back, saying, "I know. You don't have to. This is just a game, alright?"

He pulled back and eyed her sternly. "Not when there's money involved, it isn't."

"Well, I guess," She admitted, "but still. You don't have to worry. I told you before, I can handle myself."

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing." She cut in. "This is why I said we should stay as far from each other as possible. This is why I said competing together wasn't a good idea."

"No, Mileena," Nightwolf stated, "with the two of us competing, our odds of winning are better."

"Yeah, but not if you worry yourself to death." She quipped.

The chief nodded, "Forgive me. If it weren't for the fact that I heard that awful scream earlier, and then saw that two people had been eliminated..."

"Scream?" She frowned, "I didn't hear a scream. Do you know who was eliminated?"

"Kung Lao, that I know for certain." Nightwolf replied, "I saw Liu Kang walking through the forest looking dejected only minutes ago."

"Bummer." She remarked, but on the inside she smirked.

_At least it wasn't me._

* * *

**A/N: Okay, as you know, it only takes one review to keep the updates coming so if you like this so far, tell me. If you don't, neglect to respond and I'll take the hint :)**

**~DymondGold~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**Survival Week: Day Five**

* * *

Caught. He, the great Grand Master, joint ruler of the formidable Lin Kuei, was caught like a wild animal in a net, about six feet off the ground. He was walking along, minding his own business and going to the lake to fetch fresh water for himself and Tomas. Somewhere down the line he'd not watched where he was going and had stepped right into the trigger to some manufactured trap. Now here he was, swinging back and forth with the effort he was expending in trying to free himself. And to make matters worse...

"Long time no see, little brother."

"Bi-Han." the younger cryomancer scowled, "So you're the one who laid this diabolical trap?"

"Pretty intricate, isn't it?" Noob answered proudly. "Oh don't look at me like that, Kuai. I gotta' get flags someway, right?"

"I don't have any." Kuai claimed.

Noob crossed his arms and walked around the huddled figure of his brother, strung up from one sturdy branch on a thick oak.

He shook his head and stated, "You know I can always tell when you're lying."

"Why are you acting this way?" Kuai suddenly asked.

"What way?" Noob asked, though he knew what was coming.

"Like nothing's changed between us."

"Because nothing _has _changed."

Kuai shifted in the net and gazed at his older sibling. So different he was, and yet, if he squinted, Tundra could find remnants of the cocky sibling he always knew. There was his smirk, thin and presumptuous and full of good nature. And those eyes weren't so pitch black and soulless now that he really stared. His thin, firm nose and sturdy jaw made something stir in the pit of Kuai's stomach.

_Could it be, _he wondered, _after all these years and all these awful trials, that my brother is not lost after all? _

"...Bi? Is this. Is this really you?" He dared ask.

Noob nodded, "Somewhat. Maybe one day I'll tell you all that I've been through, but for now rest assured, little brother, in knowing that I don't completely hate your guts; maybe your entrails, but not your guts."

Oh, his humor had not changed. That was sort of comforting. But Kuai winced, because that rope was beginning to chafe his palms.

"Can I get down from here now?"

"Go ahead," Noob spoke, stepping back to watch.

"That's not what I meant," Kuai frowned, but nonetheless started to work at his restraints.

First he tried to rip the net, and when that didn't work, he froze it. _Why hadn't I done this in the first place? _With a solid punch, the thing shattered and he landed in a neat crouch on the ground.

"Now about those flags," Noob drawled. "Hand 'em over."

"Yeah, right." Kuai retorted, abandoning his more refined manner of speaking in the face of his brother's familiar bullying.

The cryomancer darted to the left, trying to make a break for the woods, but all it took was for Noob to throw forth his arm and send Saibot to tackle his sibling to the ground. Kuai Liang elbowed the wraith's minion in the face and pushed himself up off the ground. This time Noob himself leapt from the earth in front of his brother and grabbed Kuai by the front of his shirt.

"How's this for old times?" The wraith chuckled as he robbed his brother of all of his silk flags.

He dropped Kuai in a heap and the young leader lunged for Noob. He wasn't quicker than the portal that Noob stepped through, though, and so he was left colliding head-first into the base of a tree.

When he came to, about a half-hour later, Smoke was there.

"What happened?" the enenra asked.

Kuai hesitated, rubbing his head. "I got in a fight and uh, lost my flags."

"All of them?" Tomas asked incredulously. "All at one time?"

"My opponent was formidable." Kuai muttered.

"..."

"What?"

"It was your brother, wasn't it?"

Kuai frowned. "He's back, Smoke, and he hasn't changed at all."

"Then we'll have to avoid him." Tomas reasoned. "Just for three more days."

"You make it sound so easy."

* * *

_Okay, that is **the **last time I ever go near that psychotic bastard, _Tanya thought to herself as she stormed away from the unnatural hole in the ground. That pit had been the location of her impromptu meeting with the host. She'd sought him out because there were rumors floating around about how he had a ton of flags; she wanted to get in on that. If only she'd known beforehand what an anti-social prick he could really be.

Before she even got two words in, he was attacking her. His telekinesis was impressive, downright impeccable if she were being totally honest, but she hadn't trained under the Brotherhood of the Shadow without honing her own skills. That prowess of hers was the only reason why she was stalking off, in search of a certain sorcerer, instead of lying in a bloodied, crumpled heap: oh she had no doubt Ermac would have mangled her. For some reason, he seemed to really despise her. She chalked it up to his hatred of Rain and her being the demigod's partner in crime.

At any rate, she was getting nowhere with the host, and Noob had already turned her down, so now she was off to see the other leading competitor. And she found him not too much later.

"Is there something you want?" The sorcerer asked.

She placed her fists at her hips and said curtly, "I have five flags. They're all yours."

Now that made the black-haired immortal turn around to face her. He was sitting on a slab of a rock, staring out at the unmoving lake waters. But now his sharp dark eyes were on her.

"Go on." He spoke.

Tanya smirked. "All I ask in return is that, if and when you win, you choose me to be on your team."

Two powerful magic-wielders? She knew she would get far with him. He knew this, too, but the deal wasn't sealed just yet.

"Very well," Shang spoke, "But there is something else I want you to do for me."

"You mean besides fork over my flags?" She frowned.

"Indeed."

The woman made a face; _t__his better be worth it._

* * *

The week was drawing to a close on this fifth evening, everyone could feel it. For some this brought about a renewed desperation to win, but not particularly for the shaman or his wife. He had all three of his flags, but that was only because he was within his element in these woods and knew how to navigate them without being heard or seen. His wife, on the other hand, had but one flag left. Not that she really cared. No, the only thing on her mind was the savory meal cooking over the fire in front of her.

Nightwolf had thought ahead and packed but one spare pair of pants, some medical equipment, weapons, and food. Lots of dried meats in particular. It wasn't for himself, either; he just knew how much his favorite woman loved venison and couldn't help but indulge her. She'd gone through the last of his stash last night, though, which was why he'd had to hunt down small game and prepare it fresh for her this evening. The anticipatory gleam in her dark eyes as she watched the meal cook let him know just how grateful she was.

And she wasn't the only one who'd been enticed by the decadent, spicy scent. No, there was an Edenian royal, staring longingly at the spit that the meat roasted on from their place behind a cluster of trees. This royal was too proud to come any further, having denied themselves anything more than just gazing from afar at the food, food he hadn't had a taste of in days. He was a demigod, he didn't _absolutely need it, _but he wanted it. It smelled delicious and he wanted it so bad. He wanted to be the one to sink his teeth into the tender flesh of what was once a large hare. He wanted to be the one enjoying every bite of it.

_That should be my feast, _he thought vindictively, _Who am I to starve while those below me dine as kings? It's not right. _

His stomach made a disturbing noise and the woman jerked her head over to where he stood. She saw the prince, met eyes with him, and where he scowled she grinned.

Mileena picked up the entire spit and came sashaying over to the royal. She was out of seeing range of her husband, the only other in the clearing. Very sweetly she smiled at Rain and then took a bite out of the meat. She made a show of fluttering her eyes and humming deep in her throat as she enjoyed the meal.

"This is _really _good," She told him after she'd swallowed it.

He glared at her, not daring to open his mouth for fear a pool of drool would come splashing down. He was so, so hungry!

"You want some?" She offered.

Rain narrowed his eyes. "No."

"No?" She parroted, tearing off a piece of meat and waving it under his nose.

The prince's stomach clenched and his palms began to sweat. He balled his quivering fists at his sides and snapped his head to the right, away from her. Mileena smirked and hooked a finger under his chin, making him face her again.

"You sure?" she sang. "You can have it, you know."

He gritted his teeth and implored her with his eyes to stop goading him. _I knew I shouldn't have come here. But I smelled food and I'm so, damn hungry. I could eat that thing in one bite! _

"All you have to do is give me one thing." She bargained.

Rain swallowed dryly. "A flag?" he guessed, "I only have one left."

"Oh, boo-hoo, so do I," She snapped, "And no. I don't want it. I want _that._"

The girl pointed to his pants and Rain flushed for a moment. He'd heard of these kinds of deals, but was he really that hungry?

"Stop looking at me like that, you ass," She hissed, "I was talking about the knife."

Now Rain looked over at his hip where a beautiful dagger rested. The thing was one of his favorites. It was wickedly curved at its silver hilt to fit neatly within his hand with sapphires and diamonds embedded between the navy leather binds. The blade was thin as a shoot of grass and ten times as sharp. It was a thing of finesse. And Mileena wanted it. How many times had she stolen from him? And now she thought that he would just hand over one of his most prized weapons for a piece of food?

Hot. Steamy. Mouth-watering. Juicy.

"Alright." He panted, yes panted.

He was losing his cool over a bite to eat. Mileena grinned and held out her hand in wait. He reluctantly handed over his dagger and she cradled it to her chest, giving him the spit with the meat on it in exchange. He tore into it at once, before her hand even left the charred wood it was impaled on.

"Could you not bite my fucking fingers off, please?" she scoffed, "Prince of Edenia, my ass."

Rain ignored her.

"No wonder your girlfriend ditched you," she added, "You're like a wild animal."

He was so engrossed in the chore of getting that food inside his mouth, down his throat, and into his stomach that had nothing but air to bounce around its walls that he didn't regard her insults. Only when he'd finished a moment later and was doing his best to get every sinew of flesh from the meal as he could did he glance at her.

"You gonna' eat the bones, too?" She deadpanned.

_Yes. _

"No."

_Maybe, _he thought, but that last shred of dignity kept him from doing just that. He'd sated his hunger, for the most part. Now came the regret.

"You know you're not getting this back, right?" Mileena spoke.

It was as if she could see the distress brewing behind his dark brown eyes, desperately wondering what on Earth he'd just done. His despair amused her, made her laugh lightly.

"Don't worry," She told him, "I'll take good care of it for you."

And she looked him dead in the eyes as she ran the flat side of the knife over the tip of her tongue, then pretended to take aim at his head. The utter disrespect.

_I'm getting that knife back, _he amended, _deal or not. _

* * *

**A/N: Short again, as all these will be. Are you still reading? If so, please review, tell me what you think. **

**Your feedback will determine if I keep this going or not. **

**~DymondGold~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Better late than never at all, right? Thanks for reading and reviewing! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**Survival Week: Finale**

* * *

Leave it to the universe to send her short-shorts and attitude when it was the broad shouldered and very-male sorcerer she wanted to encounter, not the feminine one in front of her. Sonya was still hunting him even on the last day, mainly because she wanted to get to the bottom of what he'd done to Jax. This was a contest, but she would put nothing past the immortal. However, he continued to elude her. And as if that weren't bad enough, she now had that woman to deal with.

Tanya.

She didn't know her that well, but Sonya did know from seeing her name pop up at OIA that the woman had dealings with the Brotherhood of Shadow. And on the boat ride to the island, she practically clung to the demigod.

"Can I help you?" the lieutenant asked in a clipped tone.

Tanya folded her arms over her chest, right above her bare stomach. Sonya rolled her eyes, then.

_It's hot out here, _she knew, _but not hot enough to walk around looking like a professional stripper. Jeez, woman, have some class. _

"Actually, there _is_ something you can do." The sorceress stated.

"And that would be?" Sonya spoke.

Tanya said, "There is a being who requires your presence."

"Who?"

"He wishes to remain anonymous."

"Shang Tsung," Sonya immediately concluded.

Tanya just shrugged and said, "Are you coming or will I have to use force?"

"What does he want?" The blonde ventured.

"How should I know?" Tanya replied, "He just told me to escort you."

"Alright. Lead the way." Sonya said.

She then followed the other woman through the woods. They hadn't reached their destination when a golden light bathed the dark green and brown hues of the forest. The voice of Argus rang through the area, telling everyone that the challenge was over and that everyone was to report to the shores of the Sea of Blood.

"That's it?" Tanya wondered, "Hn."

"Wait!" Sonya called to the retreating woman, "Where are you going?"

"Didn't you hear?" she frowned, "game's over."

"But what about Shang Tsung?" Sonya pressed, "Where is he? What did he want?"

"You'll see him at the shores," She replied simply, "So ask him yourself."

* * *

"You think this will work?"

"I don't know. But it's worth a try."

Liu and Kitana came to that consensus, and Jade just shrugged in compliance. She didn't put much faith in their idea but she'd go with it, just for the heck of it. What Liu had suggested was, since this was it, they would hand their flags over to him and if he happened to have the most, he would choose them as his teammates. It was a win-win-win scenario but she really doubted it would fall through.

The three of them walked, with the rest of the players, back to the crimson sea where the game had first begun.

* * *

"Did everyone have a good time?"

The question, posed by Kochal, was aimed at the crowd of players gathered on the shores. They looked alright for the most part, with the exception of a few who seemed tired, famished, and agitated. As for a response, the answers were of the same vibe. Except for a resounding, '_Fuck no!' _from someone in the midst, they all seemed to be feeling pretty neutral about their time in the woods. It wasn't much fun, but it wasn't hellish, either. Just what it was, a challenge, something to be gotten through.

Argus stood beside the skull-headed god and folded his arms. His smile was warm as he regarded all of the contestants. It only faltered and fell into a semblance of a frown when he caught sight of his youngest, but then it was back again.

"Raiden will call your name," He explained, "When he does, call out the number of flags you have. If necessary, you'll have to show them as well."

The former Edenian protector nodded in the thunder god's direction. Raiden then held a clipboard and stepped over the dirty sand to stand near his fellow judges. Meanwhile, Jimmy Aames readied his camera to catch a panoramic view of all the contestants.

"Nightwolf?"

Said shaman called out, "Three."

Raiden made a note of this and said, "Sonya?"

"Two."

"Shang Tsung?"

"14."

There was a murmuring in the crowd, a collective wonder of how he got so many when hardly anyone even saw him. Sonya, in particular, craned her neck to get a look at the immortal. He looked as if he'd spent the last week in Pasadena with his sleek hair and cool features and unmarred black clothing. Not a scratch was on him, no bags under his eyes or anything. It only made her want to corner him and milk him for the answers that were burning in her head. And while she gazed upon him in want of answers, others looked over in envy.

"Sheeva?"

"Two."

"Tomas?"

"Three."

"Kuai Liang?"

"Zero, and I have a question, if you would allow it?"

Raiden looked up from his clipboard and nodded.

Kuai was about to speak, but Noob need only clear his throat pointedly for the younger cryomancer to put that raised hand behind his head, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Is there something you wanted to ask?" Raiden prompted.

Kuai lowered his arm and shook his head. "On second thought. Never mind."

"Hm. Okay." The thunder god hummed, "Liu Kang?"

"Seven."

"Can we cut this short?" Tanya suddenly blurted, "I mean, we all know who won."

Jade had a glare ready for the presumptuous sorceress, and Tanya only gave her a tight and false smile in return. Raiden, however, obliged her.

"Alright, then," He said, "Is there anyone who has more than 14 flags?"

There was silence.

"Anyone at all?" Raiden spoke.

Everyone looked around at each other irritably, wanting to move on to the next thing on the agenda. They all guessed that it was, indeed, Shang who had won, and were ready to be done with this challenge.

Raiden sighed and said, "Well if that's the case, I suppose the winner is-"

**"We might have just a few more." **

Everybody now looked over towards the edge of the shore where Ermac stood, arms folded and a smug gleam in those iridescent green eyes of theirs. They reached in one of the pockets of their hooded leather jacket and procured a wad of clean white cloth. Wait, was that a blood-stain on one of them? The gods only knew how they got a hold of all those flags.

"How many?" Raiden asked.

**"You tell us," **the host quipped, **"We lost count of how many saps fell into that pit." **

And that drew some of the players' memories, for a great many of them had fallen prey to that simple calamity that was the hole Ermac had dug. The host handed his lot over to Raiden, who counted them and nodded.

"Eighteen it is," He affirmed, "Ermac is our winner!"

But most of the players hated Ermac, so there was no 'huzzahs' going forth in their honor. No, just skeptical murmurings and bravely-tossed glares in their direction. Ermac was beckoned to stand at the front of the crowd with the judges.

"Well you know what this means," Argus told them, "You get to hand-pick the two players you'll be teamed up with for the next four weeks."

"So who's it gonna' be?" Kochal asked.

Ermac wasted no time in saying, "Noob Saibot."

From the way the wraith and the crowd reacted, this was no surprise to anyone. The two had built their respective empires around the same time, they were strong allies. But the real shocker came when the host spoke again, announcing their other choice teammate.

"Who else?" Raiden asked, writing this down.

**"...Princess Kitana." **

Said royal widened her eyes, and the monk next to her visibly flinched, his mouth twitching into an uncharacteristic scowl for the briefest of moments. She was just as surprised as everyone else.

"Now if you'd just talk amongst yourselves for a moment," Raiden instructed, "we judges will organize the rest of you into similar teams of three."

While the three deities moved off to the side, Jimmy Aames leveled his camera over his shoulder and moved in. The crowd was buzzing and he wanted to know why. He didn't know any of these people, with the exception of a few, like Sonya Blade, who'd made the news back home. He decided to approach the thus-named Princess Kitana. As he pointed his equipment her way, she blinked, startled.

"Can I pull you aside for an interview?" he asked politely.

She nodded, "Of course."

_Like I have a choice, _she thought. At the same time, Jimmy was eagerly appraising his current guest of interest as they walked off to a more isolated part of the beach.

_Whoa, she is gorgeous! I wonder if she's taken? Ah, get it together, Jimmy. She'd never go for a scrub like you. You're still commuting to State from your parents' spare room. _

The young man cleared his throat and said, "Princess Kitana, was it?"

"Yes." She answered civilly.

"Why are you in this contest?" He asked.

She replied, "Well, my kingdom could use the money. There's much to be done and not a lot of funds to do it with."

"I understand," Jimmy remarked coolly. "What about this Ermac person? I met him a few days ago and he is a pretty interesting guy. How do you feel about him?"

"He's not an enemy, but he's not anyone I'd associate with outside of this event." She explained.

The princess brushed some of her hair back that wasn't caught in that high ponytail she donned and blinked against the wind. Her mannerisms spoke of her unsettled mood.

"You seem kind of nervous," Jimmy observed, "How do you feel about being on Ermac's team?"

"No matter who I work with, I'll do my best to stay in the running for the grand prize." She stated firmly.

"And why do you think he picked you?" Jimmy then asked, "Do you two have a history or something?"

"No, not that I know of." She answered.

"If you had a choice," Jimmy continued, "Who would you have liked to be teamed with?"

Kitana paused before saying, "I guess either Jade or Liu."

"And why is that?"

"Well, Jade is one of my oldest friends," She told him, "And Liu, he's my fiance."

_Fiance? Damn, _Jimmy thought dismally, _there goes that. _But he didn't let his disappointment show. The young man beamed at the striking royal.

"Alright, thanks for your time, Your Highness!"

"You're very welcome." She said pleasantly.

He then brought his equipment towards the winner of the first challenge, but it only took one menacing glare and a 'fuck-off' vibe to get him heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

"Please settle down!"

Argus' plea for calm went unnoticed by the ornery crowd. The people were ready to get settled into those huts, that looked a whole lot better than the woods they'd been subjected to for the past week. That, and the fact that everyone had their predictions of who would be teamed with who made the shores a fairly loud area at the moment. So Raiden stuck his fist in the air and brought down a streak of lightening to get everyone's attention. Upon seeing the spectacle, they quieted and waited for the inevitable bad news, because it was never good when people were forced to co-inhabit a place.

"The teams have been made," The thunder god declared, "And after yours is announced, you can move into a hut together."

"For the next four weeks you'll have to get to know each other and work together," Argus continued.

Kochal put in, "And it would help if you didn't kill each other during that time."

"Are you ready to hear your team assignments?" Raiden asked.

He looked out at the sea of bored and impatient faces and sighed. They really wouldn't like these, but he'd tried his best to make things as interesting as possible. He cleared his throat and brought his clipboard, the white one with the little yellow thunderbolt doodles all over it, up to his eyes.

"First team will be: Ermac, Noob Saibot, and Kitana." He spoke.

Mileena rolled her eyes and said, "We already knew that."

"Yeah, get on with it!"

"It's hot as hell out here! Trust me, I've been!"

"And I'm starving!"

"The next team," Raiden spoke over them, "will be: Tomas, Scorpion, and Jade."

That wasn't too bad, judging by the three people in question and how they reacted. Scorpion just stood blank-faced, Tomas' only regret was that Kuai wasn't on his team, and Jade didn't care either way. She had her mind fixated on her goal of winning the ultimate prize.

"Next team," Raiden stated, "is Nightwolf, Shang Tsung..."

Here he paused for dramatic effect. The players and their shouts let him know just how much they appreciated that little stunt. He chuckled a bit to himself and continued.

"Nightwolf, Shang Tsung, and Miss Sonya Blade."

The shaman remained unfazed but he was the only one in his group who did so. Shang Tsung looked immensely pleased, smirking to himself, and Sonya's face fell. She wanted to get answers from the fiend, but not like this. Now she'd be spending days, weeks on end in a private shelter with him. It was downright unnerving to think about.

"Liu Kang, Kuai Liang," Raiden continued, "and Sheeva will be a team. And as for our final group-"

"No! No way in hell!" someone shouted.

It was Mileena, who'd quickly figured out, by process of elimination, who she was stuck with. And she wasn't happy at all.

"Our final group-"

"No!"

"Will be comprised of-"

"Hey wait a minute!"

Rain had only just realized what Mileena was shouting about. Tanya just smirked because she could work with anyone. It was all about the money, in the end.

"Rain, Mileena, and Tanya." Raiden finished before someone could interject again.

The first two members of the team glared first at each other, then at the judges, then back at each other.

Mileena huffed and asked, "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I can't be in a room with _her_," Rain sneered, "she's a thieving, lying-"

"You'll want to stop talking now," Nightwolf cut in with quiet menace.

The demigod was silenced, but scoffed and looked away. The judges were unimpressed with this show of insolence from both the 'prince' and the former assassin, and they told the two as much.

"If you don't like your assignments," Kochal spat, "Tough luck. Suck it up or do something foul to get the other person eliminated, just don't come whining to us."

That gave Mileena a bit of hope, until Raiden spoke again.

"That wouldn't be wise, seeing as how elimination works in threes from here on out." The thunder god stated.

"What?" Sonya blurted.

"That's right," Argus added, "Each team must place in the weekly challenges, or be eliminated together."

"That's not fair!" Tanya protested.

"This bitch is a liability!" Rain shouted.

"_Me?" _Mileena huffed, affronted. "This is coming from the person who _lost _his last flag, you incompetent piece of shit!"

While Kochal chuckled, Raiden said, "Enough! Or you'll all be disqualified. The only ones who seem to have a problem here is you three."

"So if you don't like it, you can leave." Argus spoke brusquely, looking dead at his son.

The three of them said no more but were clearly the most unhappy about how things had panned out. Looking their way, Jimmy just knew he had to give them adequate screen time. If he was gonna' make a good film for his Digital Media course, they'd have to be in it.

_Not to mention, _he thought to himself, _both of those chicks are smokin' hot! _

* * *

**A/N: So what do you people think so far? This is sorta' helping my writer's block, but not really. I don't know. **

**I have this all mapped out, btw, I just have to figure out how to write it, that's mainly what took so long. I'll see if I can keep updating every day though. **

**Until next chapter!**

**~DymondGold~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Just a warning, this story is crack, pure crack, so people will be out of character. If that doesn't bother you, then...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**Moving In**

* * *

The night was still young but the week had been long. Consequently, Jade was exhausted. By the time that she had unpacked the sandy chest she buried at the Sea of Pormissus, the one that held all her clothes and toiletries, she was ready to drop. But she'd pushed herself to go ahead and take a wash. In the hut, the bathroom was small but well-stocked with all kinds of amenities, like thick towels and a plush rug beside the tub and lots of oils and soaps. She'd tried a few of them after letting her body soak in the steaming hot water for a while. A good hour and a half later, she was much more relaxed, she smelled good, and her aching muscles were all better. She took her time drying off, relishing in the warmth of the clothes that had spent time underground: a pair of silk shorts and a short-sleeved matching emerald silk shirt was what she changed into, and after washing her face in the sink she pinned up her long black hair. She was ready to sleep.

The woman yawned as she twisted the doorknob. On the other side, a young man was waiting. She blinked upon seeing him, all dirt-covered and weary, and immediately she felt a guilty pang wrack through her.

_Smoke, he's probably wanted to get in there and shower and here I held up the bathroom for nearly two hours, _she thought regretfully.

"I'm sorry," She murmured with her bundle of used clothes in her arms.

Smoke tilted his head. "What?"

"I didn't mean to take so long in there," She spoke apologetically.

He shrugged and brushed past her into the bathroom. She had to curl up her nose just a bit because he smelled like he spent the week in a den with wet dogs. But that only made her feel worse; he obviously should've been allowed to go first.

When Smoke shut the door, Jade made her way over to the bed she'd claimed. There were three of them lined up vertically across from the door, with only a nightstand in between each of them. There was a vanity on the left and right walls, and one along the same wall as the door, adjacent to the bathroom. Besides that, there were two giant brown rugs that swallowed up her bare feet and oil lamps on each nightstand to light the room. The first thing she'd done was put her clothes away in the vanity across from her bed, and now she put her dirty ones in the empty bottom drawer. That was when she yawned again and climbed into the bed.

She had only just laid down on her side when she saw Scorpion sitting in the middle of his bed. He had changed clothes but hadn't bathed. He wore a pair of thick black pants and boots and a black tunic with a canary-yellow obi. She cringed upon seeing his dirt-caked boots atop the clean brown sheets, but she figured it was his bed and he could do what he liked.

_Besides, _she thought, _does he even need sleep? _

He didn't act like it, not with the way he had his legs crossed and his back straight, intent on the chore in his lap. He had a blade in one hand and a hunk of ivory stone in the other and was whittling away at it. She shivered because a thought ran through her mind, one that wondered if maybe it was bone, not stone, he was shredding away at. That thought led to wonder how he'd gotten the purported hunk of bone, and then things got disturbing as her mind conjured plenty of gory, gruesome examples. She shuddered and turned away.

It wasn't too much longer when Smoke emerged from the bathroom. She was drifting off at that point, but when he crossed the hut and came over to his bedside and into her line of sight, all drowsiness fled from her body as her eyes drank in the sight of him. She did feel an ounce of shame as she raked her eyes over his face first, all soft features and light eyes, and then over the rest of his chiseled body. He may be lean but he was well-built, and that constant cloud of steam that emanated from his still-damp body made her question if it was from the bath or from his being an enenra.

_Either way, it's doing him all kinds of favors right now, _she thought to herself with a private smile.

Smoke stretched his arms overhead and then pushed his long, limp silver hair behind his shoulders.

"Hello?"

She blinked and felt flustered at having been caught staring at him. But she was nothing if not a woman of immense decorum. So she sat up slowly and mustered her pride to come to her aid.

"Good evening," She greeted back.

Smoke sat on the edge of his bed and draped that thin white shirt around his neck. For heavens' sake, why didn't he just put it on? That was what she wanted to know. She ignored his physique and smiled politely.

"That was some week, huh?" She stated.

He smiled softly and nodded, "It was something, yes."

_Even his voice is attractive, _she thought in mild despair, _it's all quiet and accented...gods, listen to me; I sound thirsty as all hell. When was the last time I had a-_

No, she promised herself she would _not _think about that. Not here, at least. She was here for a reason and it was best if she stayed focused on that and not her teammate's sinful body.

"Going to bed already?" He asked her as she turned her back on him.

Jade buried herself under the covers and said, "Yes. I'm pretty tired."

"That's understandable," Smoke acceded, "Goodnight then."

"Goodnight." She responded.

Only when both of them were fast asleep did the spectre in the room stand and walk over to the mirror. He laid his blade and the hunk of white bark down onto the vanity and gazed at his own white eyes.

"Oh, hello there, Hanzo," He whispered, "Almost forgot you were here. Almost forgot you were still an actual fucking person, even if you are an undead being. You have a good night, too."

And he shut off his lamp.

* * *

Once you got past the extra set of arms, the slitted yellow eyes, the giantess-esque height, and of course the thong-and-leotard getup, Sheeva was an alright person. Liu found that out after speaking with her a bit last night. However, knowing this didn't make being shaken awake by her any less unsettling. So as he snapped open his eyes and jack-knifed into a sitting position in his comfortable bed and gazed with pure fear for a second at the strange face that was so close to his own.

"We must go." She told him, "Our presence is required at the dining hall."

"O-Okay." Liu breathed, trying to calm his heart.

As the last drops of adrenaline diluted from his veins, Liu rolled his shoulders and stood, leaving the sheets on the bed as he stretched. Like most everyone else, he had bathed last night and was feeling much more up to par. In his plain white t-shirt and sloppy black training pants and boots, he was ready to start his day.

A sudden cry of surprise had the Champion of Earthrealm chuckling; it would seem Kuai had been woken in the same startling manner thanks to their female teammate. Once the cryomancer was up, having already dressed in the same easy clothing as Liu, the three of them set out.

It was a moderate trip uphill, alongside the forest they'd spent their week in, to get to the dining hall. There were signs pointing out the way. As they trekked, Kuai began to voice his musings aloud.

"I wonder what Tomas is doing." He spoke.

That made Liu wonder what his own best friend was doing right about now. He was probably back at the Academy, rooting for him, no doubt. Liu smiled at the thought.

"To win this tournament would only add to your many victories," Sheeva told Liu Kang.

Liu blinked in surprise, but the compliment was short-lived.

"I fear it will only wound you that much more when I deny you of this latest title." She added with a clever smirk.

"Oh is that so?" Liu grinned. "And what makes you so sure you'll win?"

"It is what I must do," She said simply, "My people would greatly benefit from this money."

"So would mine," Kuai chimed in, "This money won't solve every problem, but it will help out a lot."

Liu said, "We all need the money, so I guess we'd better work together to make it to the final inning."

On that the three of them could agree.

* * *

Being who she was, Kitana wouldn't dare go anywhere without ensuring she looked her absolute best. That was why the halter-style white top and form-fitting black pants were her choice garments for the morning. Not only did they compliment her figure, but they were also tailored in a way that made them ideal for her current situation. The shirt was made of a light, breathable material, and her pants were also cool and easy to maneuver in. Her shoes were a pair of sturdy black boots, plain but tough. And as for her hair, she pulled the glossy locks up in a high ponytail. It was only because Liu was there that she added a bit of color to her lips and a swipe of darkness over her lashes. In the mirror she could tell that she looked nice and was ready for whatever challenge came next. However, she didn't expect those two teammates of hers to be there, waiting to inspect her.

Ermac was neither subtle nor silent in the way he observed her and obviously found something about her appearance wanting. She was affronted by that and put her hands over her shapely hips.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

**"Yeah," **He spoke, **"You look like too much of a princess." **

"But that's what I am!" She snapped indignantly.

"Not here, you're not," Noob corrected, "This is a competition, so shed yourself of those righteous inhibitions right now."

"I don't understand," She frowned, "What does my character have to do with winning a contest?"

"Everything," Noob told her, "This is a _dirty _contest, meaning you'll have to do some things to stay on top. Things your princess-y side may not be in agreement with."

"I don't think that's necessary to win." She argued, "You don't have to play dirty. You just have to be clever and smart."

Ermac scoffed, saying, **"Well you go ahead and be 'clever' and 'smart'. Just don't get in the way when we crush our way through the weaker lot." **

* * *

No matter how many times she ran that soaked towel over her face, she still felt so tired. Sonya hardly got any sleep last night, and the little she did get was because of Nightwolf; he erected a temporary spiritual barrier around her bed so that a certain someone wouldn't be able to mess with her during the night. That someone was just outside the bathroom door, waiting on her. It was disconcerting, to be in a room with the sinner and the saint that was Shang and Nightwolf.

_But I'll get through this, _she resolved within.

Once more she looked over herself. This morning she donned a white tank top sporting the American flag, a pair of black fabric capris, and her combat boots. She pulled her cap over her head and tugged the end of her ponytail through the back hole. With that done, Sonya pushed open the door and was not surprised to see Shang leaning on his bedpost.

"My, my," He spoke softly, "Aren't you looking especially _radiant _this morning."

_Just ignore him, _she told herself.

And that's what she did as she went over to her own bed and started going through her dirt and leaf-covered black luggage. First she strapped on her handgun, because she wasn't going anywhere without her piece. Then she slid her mini-taser into her back pocket. Upon her wrist she snapped her watch that doubled as a projectile weapon launcher and around her neck she wrapped that chain that held her dog tags and a capsule of her 'Deadly Kiss' poison powder. She need only crush it in her palm and blow it in Shang's face if he ever got too close.

"All those weapons for a mere contest?" Said sorcerer asked with a knowing smirk.

Now she had to speak, saying, "This place is full of creeps like you: I can't take any chances."

When Nightwolf came back in to tell them the others were leaving, Shang stepped in front of her.

"Shall I escort you to the dining hall?" He offered.

She rolled her eyes and shoved past him. "Go to Hell."

As she fell into step with the shaman, he picked up on her distaste.

Very gently he asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah," Sonya muttered, "That asshole is still here."

* * *

She was mad.

Mad because she was hungry. Mad because the only thing standing in the way between her and a good meal was that prissy being in the bathroom. Mad because her palm was red and stinging from how hard she slapped it against the bathroom door to try and get him to come out. By the gods, Mileena had never been so _mad_; at least not in a while.

"You know he's not coming out until he gets good and ready," Tanya told her.

She was sitting on the edge of her vanity near the door, picking at her nails nonchalantly. Apparently she wasn't nearly as famished as Mileena if she could just sit there all calmly. Mileena just couldn't fathom how the other woman could put up with the former prince.

"What is he even doing in there?" Mileena griped, "He's been in there for almost two hours!"

Tanya's lips twitched when she said, "He takes his personal hygiene _very _seriously."

"What a little..." Mileena was out of curses and insults by this point.

For the better part of an hour and a half she'd been trying to goad him out of there but like Tanya said, it was no use. It was a good thing she'd gotten in there right after the sorceress this morning and used the toilet, otherwise she'd be up a creek. Like Tanya, she was dressed and ready to go. Her brown pants were like tights and cut off around the knees, and her white shirt was no better as it ended well above her midriff and clung to her upper body and over the caps of her shoulders. She was armed with her sai's and of course, her magic energy.

The girl contemplated using that energy to burn a hole through the bathroom door and pull that royal out herself, but then that would leave her with no door when she had to bathe and such and that wouldn't work. It was bad enough she had to share a room with the snooty prince, she had to keep what little privacy she was afforded. And speaking of that, she granted him none.

As she waited impatiently, she moved over to the right wall where his vanity was. Atop its surface were a bunch of chains and rings and a comb and fine hair band. There were no weapons, she supposed he was learning after all. But the hair band was enough. It wasn't because she wanted it, it was just to get under his skin: that was why she took the violet silken thing with the gold end-pieces and stuck it in her pocket, beside that pretty sapphire and silver blade. No sooner had she swiped his ribbon did he emerge from the bathroom.

"It took you two hours to put on a pair of pants?" She spoke in a deadpan.

It was true. All he wore were a pair of burgundy training pants that cinched in below the knees, with a pair of matching burgundy boots. His hair was down but looked thick and taken-care of, so that's probably what he'd been working at. Around his neck he wore a single gold chain that lay against his bare, tawny-skinned chest. He smirked.

"Forgive me," he sneered, "But some of us actually care what we look like."

"Whatever," Mileena snorted. "Can we go now?"

She had his headband, she couldn't be too mad. But she tapped her black moccasin-covered foot and folded her arms.

"Thanks to you, we're late," Mileena also put in.

Rain scoffed and said, "So what?"

"So the judges take away points for shit like that," Mileena shot back.

"Who cares about points?" He frowned.

Tanya told him, "You should, if you want to win, Rain; those points add up."

"Alright, then let's go," He capitulated.

Mileena shook her head. She still couldn't see how Tanya settled for someone like him. The woman was talented and powerful, she could do much better.

_Oh well, _she mused, _I'm not here to speculate on their love life, as weird as it is. I came to win, and I won't let that dick Rain get in the way of that! _

* * *

**A/N: Another update! Hope you guys are enjoying this! The next part of the game will be dealt with in the next chapter, so if you're lost about the rules or something, rest assured, it'll be sorted out! **

**What do you think so far? Who do you guys think will actually win? Which team are you rooting for and why? I'd love to hear your answers :)**

**Until next time! **

**~DymondGold~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for being patient and thanks for reviewing :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**What's in a Word? **

* * *

Breakfast was a quiet affair, much to the god of Chaos' displeasure. He was the judge on duty in the dining hall and as such, he'd expected more of a show. Really, though; a horde of individuals from all walks of life, some with conflicting backgrounds and powerful vendettas, yet there was no sort of action whatsoever. Everyone was just sitting there, in groups of threes, chowing down. Kochal would've narrowed his eyes if he had any, but as it were he had to settle for just furrowing that surprisingly-pliable bony brow of his over his eye sockets. It was definitely one of his more disturbing expressions. The judge held that look as he stalked past the rows of busy eaters. When he got to the head of the room, he folded his arms and cleared his throat.

That got no one's attention.

_Oh you wanna' ignore me, huh? _He thought vindictively, and in the next instant he rose his hands towards the heavens that he'd never inhabit and caused a great multitude of fireballs to come raining down.

"Ahh!"

"What the hell?!"

"My eye!"

Those not lucky enough to either dodge the sudden attack or counter it with a move of their own found themselves about fifty degrees hotter.

"Silence!" The judge boomed.

Sonya Blade, who'd been relatively unmarred by the blast, stood far from her scorched table with her fists on her hips.

"You just tried to fry us," She deadpanned, "And you expect us not to make noise?"

"No, flesh-bag," Kochal corrected, "If I wanted to fry you, you'd be fried."

"Well why'd you burn us?"

"Yeah, what's the big idea?"

"I was still eating!"

The flames that surrounded Kochal's head grew mightier as he grew more agitated.

"Oh, wah-wah-wah!" He snapped, "You'll get to stuff your faces again later. Right now there's something else you should be worried about."

"And that is?" Mileena prompted.

Kochal said, "Not a single one of you has done anything thus far regarding teamwork."

Noob asked, "Why would we?"

"Because, you insipid wraith, the better you work with your team, the better chance you have at making it to the final round." Kochal explained.

Noob merely shrugged, not being one to take offense easily. Beside him, Kitana was nodding her head at the judge's logic, as were most of the others. The only one not in full agreement of what was going on was that insufferable demigod.

He said, "What's the point of getting to know our teammates if there can only be one winner?"

"Each week a team will be eliminated," Kochal replied, "So ignorance is a liability."

"Sort of like how your face is a liability?" The prince smirked, "And that's how come there's no 'goddess' of chaos?"

Awful as his quip was, it earned him a few hushed and poorly-stifled snickers. It also, however, invoked that judge's ire who served as the butt of his joke.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Kochal sneered.

Rain smirked and said, "I know I am."

"Oh?" The judge challenged, "Well you know what _I _know?"

"Uh, what?" the royal frowned.

"Your stupidity just cost you fifteen points." Kochal revealed.

The demigod shrugged nonchalantly and would've retorted, had Mileena not kicked him under the table: and hard. He glared at her, but his stare was no match for the venom and acid that was her own glower.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, _she groused to herself, _he's gonna' end up putting our group dead-last if he keeps this up! _

Rain intended on repaying his teammate for what she'd done but then Tanya laid her hand in the crook of his elbow. He turned to her, and was surprised at the disappointment and mild anger he found in her brewing white eyes.

"What?" he frowned.

She shook her head and said, "Just let it go. We're already down fifteen points."

"So? What's fifteen points?" The prince complained.

Kochal cut in with, "A lot when you only get fifty each week."

"But what's so important about them?" Rain insisted, "I thought the challenge at the end of the week determines if a team gets eliminated?"

"True," Kochal acceded, "But even if a team places last in the challenge, they can still stay in the running if they happen to have the most points. _Now _do you understand?"

He did, as did everyone else. This only aggravated the females in his group even more. His outbursts had definitely set them behind and now they'd have to work that much harder if they wanted to stay in the competition.

"So all we must do," Kuai Liang spoke up, "Is keep our fifty points until the end of each week?"

Kochal shook his head and answered, "You'll have plenty of opportunities to gain more points, like if a particular judge sees you getting along especially well with your teammates. Don't ever expect me to reward that mushy behavior, though."

Sonya frowned and asked, "Is there any other way to earn points, then?"

"Of course," The god responded, "Each day you must participate in a game, worth 25 points, so that by the end of the week you'll have gained up to 100 extra points."

"Okay," She mused, "And what game are we playing today?"

Kochal's 'face' morphed into a parody of an agitated frown.

"Why do you skin-bags ask so many questions?"

**"No, it's mainly just her," **Ermac attested from their personal dealings with the lieutenant.

Kochal was hardly convinced.

"The first game," he stated anyway, "is fairly simple, so you menial brains should be able to comprehend the rules: in two minutes, you are to write down as many four-letter words as you can."

"That's it?"

"What do we write with?"

"When do we start?"

"Enough with the questions!" Kochal barked, "I'll hand out your papers and writing utensils, and then I'm gettin' the hell away from you lot. When I come back, I'll collect your lists and announce the winner, and we can all get on with our lives...well, with regards to the contest, that is."

And he said no more as he did just as he'd told them he would. First he slapped pieces of parchment down on the groups' tables, or in some cases people's faces. At the same time he would reach into the folds of the black cloak he wore and procure little pencils.

_Looks like the ones I used to take standardized tests with, _Sonya thought to herself as she was handed one rather rudely. Kochal definitely wasn't her favorite of the three judges.

"Now, like I said," Kochal spoke, "I'll be leaving. When I come back, I don't want to see a pencil in anyone's hands or else you'll be disqualified."

This worried the younger of the two Lin Kuei brothers.

Kuai asked, "What if some people try to cheat?"

"Out-cheat them." Was Kochal's reply, "Just don't let me see you when I come back."

"But-"

The god let the slam of the dining hall door serve as his response, much to Kuai's dismay. Across from him Sheeva only shrugged.

"Just take his advice," She suggested to the Cryomancer.

**"Noob, you never told us your brother liked to whine so much," **Ermac observed loudly.

To which Noob replied wryly, "Well, he is a _Cry_omancer."

And while they chuckled heartily, the slighted Tundra turned to his group and angrily snatched his pencil from the table.

"Let's just get to work." He muttered.

That's what everyone else was doing. And for a moment the hall was quiet. But that didn't last long. If the cheating could be pin-pointed, it'd have to be said that it broke out at the table where the host and the wraith sat.

"Um, take. Give. Live. Life..." Kitana murmured to herself as she wrote.

She was doing the grunt work, and she didn't much mind. It distracted her from the dissonance she felt upon seeing her two partners enact their foul play. First Ermac started staring real hard at the young leader he'd just been teasing, trying to knock the Lin Kuei's mind off track. And while they did that, Noob sent out his right-hand, er, _inside _man, Saibot. The wraith's counterpart didn't tackle anyone this time. No, he instead made a bee-line for one of the opposite team's tables.

"Something wrong, Kuai?" Liu Kang asked.

The young leader held his temple with a bewildered frown. He blinked, but couldn't dispel the odd, overbearing sensation within his head.

"I had the words coming," Kuai said, "but now it's like I'm...drawing a blank or something."

It was at that time Earth's Champion noticed the black figure leaning over Kuai's shoulder, dripping his essence onto the floor and table.

"Well I've got a word," Liu said with a hint of irritation, "_Nosy._"

And while Sheeva took the pencil from Kuai and tried futilely to hold it properly, Liu took it upon himself to get rid of their unwanted 'guest': He cupped his hands and shot a thick ball of fire at the enigmatic being. It did hit Saibot right in the chest and, like the dramatic creature he was, Saibot clutched the gaping, burning hole in his body and then staggered backwards. He managed to knock over a few chairs before he fell right on top of someone else.

"For goodness sakes, Saibot, have some dignity!" Noob winced, then called his minion back.

Scorpion was the one who'd been assaulted and was thus covered in that black gooey mess all over his back.

_And this was my good tunic, too, _Scorpion fumed. He was all too ready to flip a table and yell for all the gods and everyone else to hear. But his teammate waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hey, Scorpion!" Jade called, "Let it go! Just let it go!"

The most the spectre did was glare before turning back to his group. He still had his hands balled and his white-hot eyes narrowed into slants. Jade swallowed.

"It was an accident," She told him, "Let's just finish this, alright?"

Scorpion blinked slowly and let the anger pass. He did know lots of words, four-letter words, much to his group's surprise. He would never tell them, but he'd once been eloquent when it came to words; though he may not have always chosen to speak them, that is.

"We're on a roll," Smoke smiled, "We might actually win!"

"Unlike _them_," Jade said, and indulged in a small smirk.

It did her heart good to see one of her enemies struggling, and Tanya was indeed struggling. Not only did she have to write as fast as she could, but she also had to tune out the sheer idiocy spewing from her teammate's mouth; and no, not Mileena, she was actually helping.

"Bake, fair, sale, four, fore-" She offered.

Rain had to interject, "You said the same word twice."

"I know," Mileena snapped, "They're spelled two different ways. You'd know that if you ever pick up a book sometime."

"I've read plenty of books," He sniffed.

"Like what?" She challenged, "The Kama Sutra?"

Tanya rolled her eyes and said, "Focus or shut up!"

"Jeez, you sure are pushy," Mileena frowned.

Tanya's eyes wandered as she murmured, "Sure...Push...thanks."

"What about crime?" Rain offered after a pause.

Mileena sighed, "That's more than four words."

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is," Mileena argued patiently, then told him, "Spell it."

"K-R-I-M." He declared.

The girl closed her eyes and murmured, "Rain, you dumb fuck-"

"Dumb," Tanya noted, "Fuck; that works, actually."

Mileena met someone's eyes across the noisy room and saw that, although Tanya approved, they didn't. No, Nightwolf hated when she used such vulgar language. But he also couldn't condone what was going on in his own group, either. Shang sat beside him, slack-jawed in his seat, a translucent green aura about him. While he channeled the spirit of a famous linguist whose soul he'd stolen decades ago, the shaman shook his head.

"You know," Sonya spoke, "If Kochal comes back and sees him like this, we could all get flogged."

She knew, for she was quoting the rules for reference. As a woman of the military, she was usually a rule-abiding kind of person. But amazingly, Shang Tsung was coming up with about five words per second. He may have looked like he was strung out on a hard hit of morphine, but his hand was really going, and she _did_ want to win. So she warily watched their backs so that they wouldn't be found out.

"Alright, you sacks of flesh, I'm back!"

That warm and fuzzy greeting heralded Kochal's return. He came striding through the room and the players groaned as they begrudgingly put down their pencils. Well, not all of them that is.

_"What are you doing?" _Kitana hissed in a whisper. _"You're going to get us disqualified!" _

"Not so, Princess," Noob said politely, "You see, Kochal said that pencils had to be 'out of everyone's hands'. Technically, his hands aren't touching the pencil, so..."

It was true. Ermac was controlling the pencil with one of their mental vectors, guiding it fluidly down the white parchment in steady, furious scribbles. Kitana was hardly placated, despite Noob's rationale.

"Wait a minute," She wondered, "Where is he getting all these words from?"

Noob chuckled and said, "You'll see."

Ermac dropped the pencil only milliseconds before Kochal had come around to collect their list. By then, they'd gotten at least twenty-something more words. Kitana was impressed but had a feeling the surplus was due to some foul play.

"Now don't hold your breath," Kochal spoke, "I've got to count these things."

Smoke looked at Kuai and asked, "In the meantime, we can just, uh, talk amongst ourselves?"

"If you can talk without breathing opening your mouth, then yes." Kochal responded.

"You could have just said 'be quiet'." The enenra said flatly.

"I could have."

So the dining hall returned to that relative silence it had taken on since before Kochal arrived. It took him all of about ten minutes to count, scratch off, re-count, proofread, criticize, spell-check, and count once more everyone's words. The general fun that was struggling to bloom in the air in light of the game had long since died by the time he was finished, leaving everyone looking immensely bored. Some of them were hungry, having been denied their meal with that fire-ball stunt the god had pulled. In every case, they were glad to hear his voice for once when he started to speak again.

"Okay," He said, "First of all, let me hand this back."

To Jade, Smoke, and Scorpion he gave the list of words with over half of them scratched off.

"I don't understand," Jade frowned.

"Well for starters, about three-fourths of these words aren't even in English." Kochal told her.

Smoke smiled proudly and said, "They're Czech words."

"Well Czech gets no check," Kochal stated, "English only."

"You didn't say that before!" Scorpion seethed, dangerously close to losing his temper.

"Well that's too bad, isn't it?" Kochal said, unfazed. "The next group, well, I have to hand it to you: your extensive vocabulary of all words profane does impress me."

He gave the paper to Mileena and added, "But you didn't come up with enough of them to win."

"Uh, what about us?" Liu asked.

"Quiet, Dragon-Boy!" Kochal snapped, "Whoever wrote for your team definitely has the nicest handwriting and it looks like you had a good streak at first, but from half the page onward all I see is chicken-scratch."

Liu sighed, "See Sheeva? I told you I should've been the one to write after Kuai stopped."

Sheeva frowned. She had wanted to prove to the do-gooder Shaolin that he wasn't the only one who could excel. However, he was right this time. Holding a pencil with her three-fingered hand was a disaster and now they'd all paid the price for her obstinacy.

"Now with the last two groups, it was a close-call." Kochal spoke. "In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say the last twenty-odd words were the exact same for both lists. But hey, what are the odds?"

Sonya tilted her head and asked, "Who won?"

"If I get another impromptu question, I'm docking 30 points!" Kochal threatened.

Composing himself, he said, "And if you must know, I was trying to build suspense."

"The winners, not really a surprise to me, are those sacks of meat over there!" Kochal announced. "Congratulations!"

Not a single applause came in conjunction with the onslaught of attention that winning table suddenly received. Ermac and Noob stared back, unaffected, but Kitana flinched. She came from a place where she was princess and not many people were so bold as to look at her like that. Like they wanted her to go die in a hole at the least, or be disemboweled and set aflame and then left to die in a hole; yes, that was Scorpion. He either hated you or he didn't, there wasn't a happy medium with that guy.

Kitana shuddered and looked away.

"They hate _us_, not you, Princess." Ermac said, reading her mind. **"Get used to it, because we're only going to keep winning."**

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, everybody! Thanks for reading my nonsensical story! Go ahead and tell me what you think of it so far? **

**Who do you think is going to really go home at the end of the week? **

**Do you think Ermac's team really will win it all? Or will it be someone else?**

**What game do you think is coming up next? **

**Heh, well, I'll try to update soon, but only if you guys are still into this story, so let me know. Until that time!**

**~DymondGold~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Something to tide you over until the next chapter :) **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**A Brief Reprieve**

* * *

"What do you want me to say?"

"You can start by telling me who you are."

"You mean you don't know?"

"No." _Should I? _

A scoff and, "I am Rain, Prince and soon to be ruler and god of Edenia."

It was then that Argus walked along the shores where this early-morning interview was taking place. The former protector shook his head disapprovingly at his youngest son and spoke to the camera.

"Don't let him fool you; he's not a god, only a demigod-and barely that. And as for ruling Edenia: I'd never let that happen."

Having said his piece, Argus strode on, leaving his son to roll his eyes insolently.

"Who was that?" Jimmy asked.

"My old man," Rain said dismissively, "As you can see he's senile, the old bat."

"So you're a demigod?"

"...Yeah."

"That's cool! You're like Thor!" The young man correlated enthusiastically.

"Th-who?"

"Thor: God of Thunder?" Jimmy tried.

"Never heard of him," Rain shrugged.

"Oh. Well do you think you'll make it to the top?" Jimmy asked.

"Of course." Rain smirked, "I came to win."

"You haven't won a single challenge, yet." Jimmy pointed out.

"So?" Rain frowned, "Those don't count. And Ermac had to cheat to win anyway."

"Weren't you cheating, too?"

"No. Not really."

"I see." Jimmy murmured.

_Note to self: this guy is a complete tool. _

Jimmy smiled politely and prompted, "What do you think of your teammates?"

Again the interview was interrupted, this time by the host.

**"He ought to love them!" **Ermac smirked, **"The girl of his dreams, and the girl of his 'wet-dreams' together at once!" **

Rain narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Can't you go be a bastard someplace else?!"

Jimmy asked curiously, "So uh, which is which?"

"Huh?"

"Your teammates: which one is the one of your dreams and which is the one of your-"

"I'll say this once," Rain scowled, "I would never, in this life or any other, touch that foul wench Mileena. Ever."

_Note to self: this 'Mileena' must be fair game. _

"So the other one's your girlfriend? Tana?" Jimmy guessed.

"Tanya," Rain corrected, "And right now, I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"We kinda' have an off and on relationship, if you know what I mean."

"What are you now?" Jimmy asked.

Rain shrugged. "When I figure that out, I'll let you know."

* * *

Sonya was up early, reaping the consequences of her having slept like a wild woman the night before. She always did that, toss and turn in a new bed. It was as if her body had to break in a mattress the first few nights before she could go a whole eight-to-ten period of lying still. Each morning thereafter of this trial process, she'd wake up with her hair bearing an uncanny resemblance to the menagerie of sticks and straw and things that made up a bird's nest. So it didn't even faze her when that heinous blonde mess greeted her in the mirror that morning.

"Good day to you, too." She greeted tiredly.

The lieutenant clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle that face-splitting yawn and stretched her other arm above her head. She hadn't dressed yet, it was still so early, and was thus clad in a pair of black sweatpants and a white tank top.

_Sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can go and eat, _she figured with regards to untangling her hair. It was with that thought giving her impetus that she picked up her thin-toothed comb and started working at the tips of her hair.

And then of course someone had to come barging in, because what the hell was privacy anymore?

"Sorry to intrude," the sorcerer said.

She snorted and said, "Bullshit. If you were, you wouldn't have come in. The door was closed for a reason."

Shang Tsung met her eyes in the mirror and a chill ran up her spine before she looked away stiffly. She frowned and tried to work on as if he didn't bother her.

"I could assist you, if you'd like," He told her softly.

She gave him one of her meanest glares, something she'd picked up from her cat French, and then cut her eyes back to her own reflection. Shang Tsung just laughed a quiet sort of laugh that did strange things to her insides. She frowned.

"Could you get out? Please?" She asked curtly.

Sonya tacked on that last part for civility's sake; he would not bring out her brash side if she could help it.

"I just wanted to help, Miss Blade." He told her with one of his sly smiles.

She scoffed and turned to face him. It was the wrong move, because the bathroom in that hut was too small and she was only just now aware of that. Also of how long his hair had gotten since she'd seen him. In her prejudiced eyes, it wasn't well-kept-after and glossy, as he'd describe it, but limp and greasy. And it smelled. She couldn't prove that and nor could her olfactory organ, but it smelled. Probably. She was grasping at straws, trying to point out something negative about his appearance but, like his wit and cunning, his looks were immaculate. So clean-cut he seemed in that jade-trimmed black vest and pants. A chain and amulet hanging from his neck, that was more than likely enchanted in some way, completed his get-up.

_It doesn't mean anything, _she thought, _no matter how suave he may seem on the outside, he's still just a slimy, nasty git on the inside, and nothing will change that. _

That alone bolstered her will.

"If you really wanna' help me," She spoke sharply, "Why don't you tell me what happened to Jax?"

Shang Tsung feigned ignorance with, "Your partner?"

"Yes. My partner," She retorted tersely.

"Wasn't he eliminated?" The sorcerer mused.

"Yeah, and I bet you had a hand in that!" She accused.

Shang took in her angry expression with another of his passive smirks.

"Sorry to disappoint you, my dear, but I did not." He answered.

"Okay," She decided to humor him in light of a more pressing inquiry. "What about Tanya?"

"What of her?" Shang asked with a less-than-pleased reaction to the femme sorcerer's name.

"Why did you send her to get me?" Sonya pressed.

"Oh that."

"Yes, that."

"That was my way of reaching out to you, Miss Blade." Shang claimed.

"For what?" She asked with brute dubiance.

"An alliance, of course." He said, "I had many flags at the time and would have shared them with you."

_Right. The flags. You wanted to share the 'flags', _she thought with a blatant sort of skepticism.

"Well you got your alliance," she said, "but don't think it'll last."

Shang smirked widely and said, "Oh I know; my time with you, my dear, is always short, fleeting, but special nonetheless."

Sonya cringed. "Keep that creeper-talk up and I'll show you how 'special' our time can be, you slimeball."

* * *

"Ahoj, Kuai!"

The Cryomancer had been feeling a bit discouraged this afternoon, having not won a single challenge and also having attracted the role of a target for his older brother as of late. But when he heard that foreign yet familiar greeting roll off of his friend's accented tongue, he couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Tomas!" He called back.

They were both walking back downhill on the path from the dining hall. Smoke was behind him, probably because he'd eaten late with his team. The enenra now jogged to catch up with his black-haired buddy and they then walked at a companionable pace.

"Bi Han?" The Czech asked.

Kuai shrugged, "Let's not talk about it."

"Right." Smoke agreed. "Too bad about that last game, huh?"

"Yeah." Kuai said, "Too much cheating. And for what it's worth, I think the judge should've told you from the start that it was English-only."

"I guess," Smoke shrugged, "I'm surprised I could remember so many words, though. It's been ages since I've been home."

"How do you think things are going back-"

"-back at the clan?" Tomas finished knowingly, "Kuai, you've asked me that too many times; you know they're fine. Sektor and his Tekunin were the biggest threat."

And in a land where even the women and children were trained in basic fighting arts, Kuai could see where his worrying had been misplaced. Thugs and highwaymen stood not a chance, especially since the clan's number of Cryomancers were growing.

"You are right, Smoke." Kuai said at last.

"I know I am," Tomas replied jokingly, nudging his friend with his shoulder.

"Hey!"

Both men looked over to where Jimmy Aames was trying to catch up to them. Neither were too pleased to see him.

"It's that infernal camer-rah man." Kuai said, butchering the term.

"Jim-something-or-the-other." Tomas put in.

"Should we make off before he can get to us?"

"We could," Smoke said slowly, "Or you could freeze him in his tracks and push him downhill."

"Smoke!"

"What?"

"Can I trouble you for an interview?!" the guy huffed.

"On second thought..."

* * *

**A/N: And that concludes this short chapter! I hope you enjoyed! Please make my day, no, my WEEK immensely better by dropping a pretty little review down there! **

**Seriously, I love hearing from you people! **

**Until next chapter! **

**~DymondGold~**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is a bit longer than the others. Thanks for all the great reviews, it really makes my day great!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the MK universe or its franchise; it belongs to Netherrealm Studios****.**

* * *

**House of Kards**

* * *

"So is there a purpose to why we're all just standing here, looking like idiots?"

It didn't matter who'd asked, the inquiry was on everyone's minds. After their lunch in the dining hall, they'd been told to meet along the shores of the Sea of Blood for another activity. Once there, they all found the only activity they were really participating in was waiting for the judge on duty to arrive. And once he did, they still hadn't gotten anything started. Raiden wasn't alone, though; no, he'd dragged with him a hunk of ice, something that looked like a frozen statue of...a human? The god stood the 'statue' erect in the sand at the bottom of the hill and faced the players.

"Is that...the camera guy?"

"What happened to him?"

"Why's he frozen?"

Raiden narrowed his stormy white eyes on the Cryomancer and the Enenra who were deceptively silent.

"Hey Scorp," Noob chuckled, "Why don't you help the guy out?"

Scorpion tilted his head as he considered this; if he did lend a hand, it would mean the game of the day would begin, and the sooner the game started, the sooner it would end. He made up his mind and brought his fists to his sides, engulfing the both of them in flames. He intended to just send a direct blast of heat right at the statue.

The statue, who was in fact Jimmy Aames, couldn't physically show how terrified he was at that prospect, but his eyes did widen marginally in fear as the spectre grew closer. It was Kitana who stepped in just in time.

"Maybe that's not such a good...idea..." she trailed, gaining a bit of awkwardness in her tone as the seconds prolonged.

The instant she'd stepped up and placed her hand on Scorpion's shoulder, he'd stiffened and had begun to swivel his head ever so slowly towards her. When he had his ivory eyes pinned on hers, he reached up, plucked her fingers off of him one-by-one, and then brushed the spot she'd touched indignantly.

"_Don't_. Touch me." Scorpion warned her.

Kitana blinked in surprise but said with decorum, "Okay. Excuse me for the offense."

She turned on her heel and strode away from the spectre, and while she was at it she whipped the silky end of her ponytail in his face. He was still sputtering on strands of her black hair long after she'd gone and stood by Liu Kang.

"So do we really have to wait until he un-freezes?" Sonya asked.

She was agitated with one of her partners, the slimier one of the two, and didn't want to be in his company any longer than she absolutely had to.

Raiden said, "Yes, you do. And if you don't like it, take it up with the one who did this in the first place?"

"Who?" She frowned.

After she asked that, everyone's eyes roved over to the culprit who was trying to inch away.

"Kuai Liang?" Liu asked, "You did this?"

"Why?" Sheeva also asked of their teammate.

Kuai was spared from whatever response he was about to give when Mileena butted in again. She had her fists on her hips and her brow quirked.

"I think the more important question is," She spoke, "Why can't we just get the thing started already?"

"Yeah," Rain added, "Why do we have to suffer 'cause this sap got himself iced over?"

**"Princess Rain is right," **Ermac said, **"If that mortal was dumb enough to keep pestering people with his annoying device, he got what was coming to him." **

Rain scowled and said, "What did you call me?"

Before that could devolve into something crude and violent, Raiden decided to go ahead and appease the players. He'd promised the college student that he'd be allowed to film each of the games as footage for his project, but now the god knew he had to compromise.

"Fine," Raiden capitulated, "Everyone gather round so that I only have to explain these rules once."

When they all complied, he continued.

"This activity is simple. I'll give you each a deck of 52 playing cards," Raiden said, "All you must do is build a free-standing structure using as many of them as possible."

"Tch, too easy," Rain scoffed.

Sonya nodded and asked shrewdly, "What's the catch?"

"There is no catch." Raiden refuted. "However, if your opponents decide to launch projectiles or attack your structure, _your **structure**,_ not _you_, then they will be within their rights and your team must defend against that."

"Ah, okay." Sonya said. "Now it's starting to sound like a challenge."

Noob said, "Yeah, maybe for you."

Kitana only rolled her eyes and muttered, "Don't tell me you're planning on cheating again, Noob Saibot?"

"It's the way to go, Princess." Noob grinned shamelessly.

"Is there a time limit?" Smoke asked.

Raiden nodded. "Five minutes."

"_Five minutes?"_ Mileena parroted, "That's a lot of time. I can stack those things in about two minutes, tops."

Stacking cards was one of the things she'd gotten good at. See, she had to find little ways to keep herself occupied back home while Nightwolf was working. Sure, she had her hobby of altering clothes for herself and some of the more daring women in the village, and she was always out she did make a daily goal of screwing around with Tvari, but her free time still abounded. She would've liked to spend time with Elan, but since he'd gotten promoted to the position of a healer he stayed busy. Hence her maximum skill at using playing cards for anything but playing.

"Ready?" Raiden asked.

When he received no response, he took that to mean the affirmative.

"Alright." The thunder god said, "When I return, you must step at least two feet away from your structures and wait for my judgement."

"Yeah, yeah," Ermac spoke brusquely, **"let's get this over with." **

"So eager to lose?" Shang Tsung baited.

Ermac narrowed those green eyes and barked, **"This is coming from the slimy sorcerer who's yet to win anything; not this game, nor...the throne of Outworld." **

Shang Tsung let the barb slide, he wouldn't challenge his creation, not here. Instead, the sorcerer turned and joined his two teammates. The challenge had begun.

* * *

Very early on, Tanya realized she had a great advantage: using her sorcery, she was able to extend razor-thin, finger like vectors and wrap them around each individual card. Once she had them bound to her magic, all she had to do was use those vectors to pull all the cards together in one neat, sturdy little tower.

But of course winning would take much more than that.

"Ow, that's my foot you stepped on, you clumsy-!"

"You shouldn't have been so close to me!"

"No, you just need to watch where the fuck you're putting those big ass planks you call 'feet'!"

"Why, you!"

And just like that, the man she was having doubts about calling her lover lost sight of the matter at hand and shoved Mileena angrily. Of course, when the former assassin righted herself, she was hardly concerned about the huge stack of cards her body had crushed. No, the only thing on her mind was retaliation.

"I'll show you to put your hands on me, you flamboyant little mutant pussy!" She growled as she neared the prince.

Rain lifted his chin and said, "Come at me, then."

"No!" Tanya shouted, exasperated. "Nobody's coming at nobody, now you, Mr. Flamboyant, guard the left of me and Mileena, you guard the right."

"Mr. Flam...what?" Rain frowned, "What does that shit even mean?"

"You should know," Mileena sneered.

"Shut up!" Tanya hissed, "Stop antagonizing each other! Just go to your positions and make sure nobody's attack gets near me."

"And what are you going to do?" Rain asked.

She glared at him and said, "If you must know, I'll be rebuilding the tower that you two destroyed."

"I didn't destroy anything," He scoffed, "It was the hag who fell on them."

To his mild surprise and Tanya's immense relief, Mileena didn't rise to the bait. No, she kept her back turned as she diligently set about guarding the left side like she'd been instructed.

_If Rain has any sense of self-preservation in that arrogant head of his, he'd know to be wary of this sudden nonchalance, _Tanya thought.

* * *

It was going well at first. That system they'd worked out: the one where Kuai Liang built, Liu Kang played offense, and Sheeva guarded. But since all good things must come to untimely ends, this didn't last.

"What the-" Kuai muttered.

The cause for his surprise was that the card in his hand had burst into flames and turned to ash as soon as he went to stack it at the top. The Cryomancer looked to the left and right, but only when he turned completely around did he see the one who'd done the deed.

"You did this!" Kuai cried.

Scorpion lifted his chin in acknowledgement of the accusation.

The young leader then turned around and shook his head. He figured Sheeva would handle him. But sure enough, as soon as Tundra picked up another card, it met the same fiery fate. As did the next one he picked up.

And the next.

And the one after that.

And the three or four that were stacked at the very top of the structure.

Kuai Liang balled his fists and turned to the spectre with his own brand of fire in his eyes. He gestured to his team's cards, tiered horizontally, and then back at the spectre and his hot hands.

_Why is no one blocking him, _Kuai wondered, then saw why: Sheeva had her hands full with holding some kind of fire in between her four hands like a flaming shield that deflected all the attacks coming their way. And Liu Kang, well, he was having a pretty good time actually being _bad _for once, shooting fireballs at any and everyone. The new Sub-Zero turned back to Scorpion, who'd taken a shot at the seat of Kuai's pants.

"Oh, that's _real _nice," Tundra shouted. "Well how do you like this?!"

If he hadn't intimated so much about what was coming, perhaps Kuai Liang could have caught the Netherrealm spectre off-guard with his rapid, icy blow. But as it was, that ball of coldness that left the Cryomancer's hands went past Scorpion as the demon dropped into the ground below, teleporting somewhere else.

Another blast hit the entire tower this time, but it didn't come from Scorpion. No, this projectile was inky and black, and only served to annoy Tundra even more.

"Oh, you, too?!" He cried.

The other being chuckled and said, "Yeah, little brother."

"Why?!"

"For whining so much." Noob told him, "That and, you kinda' froze my partner."

* * *

He was staring at her like a kid did the window at the pet shop when there was a new puppy on display; the effect was a whole lot less adorable and sweet. No, his dark eyes were half-lidded and swarming with something she couldn't quite place. She had a feeling that, whatever it was, it wasn't anything good or wholesome. In stark contrast, the other male on her team was also glancing down at her when he could, but his gaze was worried. He often gazed at her like that since he didn't trust the sorcerer either. Nightwolf had good reason not to, considering what the being had done to his wife.

"Don't you have a barrier to maintain?" Sonya groused at last.

"I do," Shang spoke, "But it isn't nearly as intriguing to watch as you are."

The woman cringed. "Please stop talking now."

"Am I bothering you?" Shang asked in a low voice, "Making you...uncomfortable?"

She would have said yes, hell yes, and then would have asked him why it had taken him so long to figure that out. But the smirk he wore was indulgent, victorious. So she decided she wouldn't dare let him know he was getting to her. Instead, she turned her back to him and kept at her work.

"No," She answered him in an unaffected tone, "Not at all. I just need to concentrate."

"Not for this measly challenge," Shang Tsung told her. "But what's to come, you do."

"What?" she immediately had to ask.

The lieutenant was inquisitive by nature, and he was baiting her to begin with.

Shang replied, "The real challenge begins in three or four weeks from now."

"Why do you say that?" She frowned.

"Because, my dear Sonya," He explained, "That is when you and I will face each other in-"

"Over there!" She suddenly cried.

Shang didn't flinch or even turn his head, he just raised his fist and strengthened the faint green glow that surrounded Nightwolf's barrier. That way, the errant fireball of Liu Kang's hit it and bounced off the surface instead of making its way towards the tower of cards Sonya was precariously working on.

"No need to fret, Miss Blade." Shang Tsung chided. "This really is child's play."

Sonya just glared at him. It hadn't gotten past her, the fact that he had so boldly used her first name as if they were on familiar terms. Nor had she neglected to notice how he'd made the assumption that she and he would be the two contestants who'd last to the final rounds. She scoffed.

"If he and I really are the last two left," She muttered, "I'll shoot myself in the foot."

* * *

Since it was evident that Scorpion moved fast enough to be in almost two or three places at once, Jade and Tomas had left the offensive position to him. And as far as defense, well: you can't hit a target that you can't see, right? That was why Tomas had draped the area around the deck of cards, himself, and his other partner in smoke. It was simply efficient, for him, but for her it was like being in a private sauna. It was so hot that, after only a minute, she'd had to put her hair up. And now, after nearly three, she was sweating.

"This doesn't bother you?" Jade asked, fanning herself.

Not for the first time a card slipped right out from between her slippery fingers. Smoke reached over and plucked it from the sandy ground from where it'd fallen.

"No," He said in answer to her, "I'm used to this."

_Figures, _she thought. Not a hair was out of place and the enenra did have a lot of hair. All long, silver, nice. Framing that even nicer face of his and-

_I think I might need to get out of here, _she thought to herself.

She sat back on her heels and ran her fingers through her hair, taking it out of its bind and then tying it back up again. It was getting really hot. She watched her teammate work while she fanned herself idly.

Smoke was really careful in the way he stacked those cards. He seemed like the type to take everything he did seriously, be a happening of war or a simple, lighthearted activity as this. Only, it wasn't so lighthearted for long. Not when he started speaking to her in that soft, accented voice.

"What's the matter?" He asked her.

"Nothing." She replied.

Smoke said, "You stopped working."

"I know." She sighed, "It's hot and I'm not really good at this anyway."

Tomas shrugged and said, "It's fairly easy, once you get into it."

"Oh?" She said, for lack of a better response.

And because she wanted to hear him talk some more. He did have such a great voice.

Tomas said, "All you have to do, essentially, is get a good foundation."

He pointed to the little tents of cards on the bottom row of the tower. The edges were driven in deep into the sand so as to guarantee they'd hold.

"And once that's done, you just keep stacking. A layer of cards flat on top of those, and then more tents, and more stacks, and more tents, and so on." He continued casually.

Jade nodded, a smile faint and short-lived. It would have been a more pleasant experience if it wasn't so hot. She sighed.

_Well, five minutes can only last so long, _she reasoned, _and if I'm doing something, it'll take my mind off the heat. _

So she crawled over to where Smoke was and started to build again. In silence they worked, for the most part, until the enenra needed to know something.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked.

Unthinkingly she replied, "Yeah, sure."

"Something, ah, personal?"

"...I guess so."

"You um," Smoke stopped.

He bowed his head over the card in his hands, the one he was about to add to the heightening structure. It was as if he were trying to choose his words carefully. Jade was curious.

"What is it?" she prodded.

Tomas turned his light eyes on her and asked, "How would you feel about, I mean, after this contest is over...would you um, want to maybe-"

"-I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

That good-humored voice made both Jade and Smoke cringe. Whatever he was about to ask was utterly out the window now. He turned from her, as if embarrassed or something.

_Great, _she thought, _I think he might have been into me. And now I'll never know because this idiot decided to come in and kill the mood. _

That 'idiot' had sprung from the sand next to them like the dead rising. It was the only way the wraith could get past Scorpion, by teleporting that is. So now Noob Saibot stood, looking down on them with a knowing smirk.

"Certainly is nice and steamy in here," Noob remarked, "What have _you _two been up to?"

"Get out!" Jade hissed.

Noob held up his hands and said, "Fine, fine. But uh, before I go..."

He raised his arms over his head and dropped a portal over their tower, making it fall through that circular abyss and come raining down on their heads like cardboard confetti.

* * *

The challenge that had started out in a relatively low-key manner was now frenzied and rushed. Everybody was having trouble building and so most of the players were just duking it out now, free-for-all style.

Liu Kang realized, with no small amount of pleasure, that he could shoot fireballs from both hands. And feet. At the same time. Kuai Liang was done, just completely done, when the monk actually burned some of their own cards.

Tanya had enough of her partners' bickering and had decided to switch places with Mileena. So far it was working out, since she got along with Rain and Mileena was ridiculously skilled at stacking cards.

Over at the far right side of the shores, Scorpion was still making things hard for anyone in the near vicinity by spreading hellfire under other players' feet, which was against the rules but hey; who was watching? His teammates had yet to fully regain the morale needed to rebuild that card tower that Noob destroyed.

As for the wraith, well, he was being upbraided by the princess, who still thought his actions unnecessary:

"While you were out antagonizing everyone else," She chided, "you could've been helping me with this tower!"

"I'm a soulless wraith," Noob told her, "And a notorious troll: what'd you expect?"

Ermac wasn't doing much, really.

In fact, the only team who was succeeding by a long shot was Nightwolf's group. They didn't have one single attack land on their tower, and nearly all their cards were used up.

"Raiden's coming!" someone yelled, and that had the same effect as hitting a 'panic' button on a car remote would.

Everyone got desperate, especially the ones who knew they weren't going to win.

* * *

"Look at this mess," Tanya spoke.

She was talking about the thick pile of cards. The gods only knew how many times they knocked over their own tower, and even with Mileena's swiftness, there was still a lot of them left.

The shaman's wife sat back on her heels. "So what do we do?"

"I've got an idea," Tanya spoke slyly, "but we'll need to work fast. Just keep building, Mileena. Rain, get over here."

* * *

"Did you just...you know, whatever."

Jade was beyond caring at that point. She was already ticked off because of Noob and his vibe-killing interruption, so whatever her teammate decided to do with their cards was up to him. Tomas was over there, his smoke-screen dispelled, trying to put together their tower. It was no use. They would never win now.

"Stop torching our cards!" Smoke snapped. "I need them."

Scorpion just stared dead at him while he burned another handful of the deck.

* * *

"He's coming!" Kitana frowned, "We still have too many cards left!"

Noob said, "Oh well."

"So that's it?" She frowned, "You're giving up? We can still win this if we-"

Ermac chose now to finally contribute to the group. He flicked his fingers towards the east and the rest of their cards went flying into the Sea of Blood.

"Why did you do that?" Kitana asked, exasperated.

She just wanted to play the game and participate in the contest and maybe have a good time while trying to win. But it seemed like the gods had given her the two worst partners in competition history.

For his part, Ermac said, **"We used all our cards building the tower." **

"No we didn't," Kitana argued, confused.

**"Oh, but we did," **Ermac told her, **"If not, then where are they?" **

Noob chuckled and said, "Genius."

Kitana sighed.

* * *

"Everybody step away from your structures!"

Raiden was back and ready to judge. Everyone groaned when they saw him. Except Jimmy Aames. No, he was groaning for a different reason. See, when Liu Kang got fireball-happy, several of his flames bounced onto the camera guy's frozen body and steadily melted the ice that encased him. Now he was coming to, and groaning in pain as he did. It wasn't a jolly good thing to be trapped in suspended animation like that.

When everyone was a good distance from their towers, or their pitiful excuses for ones, Raiden surveyed them. He was quickly clued in to the foul play and only when he got to the last structure did he remark upon this.

"There's a curious trend going on," The thunder god spoke, "It seems like a lot of you have different sized towers, and yet there are no cards left over. Fancy that."

"Yeah," Smoke glared at his partner, "Fancy that."

"Smoke," Raiden spoke, "What happened to your cards?"

The enenra didn't lie when he said, "Scorpion torched them."

"Aren't you on the same team?"

"That's what I thought."

"Well why did you burn them, Scorpion?" Raiden asked.

The spectre only replied, "...sometimes I get these urges...to burn..."

"...Okay." Raiden frowned. "As for the rest of you, I'll be counting your cards. If they don't add up to 52, you're disqualified."

Cue cacophonous noises of displeasure and protest.

That didn't deter the thunder god from going about his task, though, and thus the cheaters were weeded out. Some people, like Rain's group, incriminated themselves and made his task a lot easier.

"So you used all your cards?" Raiden asked Tanya skeptically.

The ambassador lied and said, "Yes."

"Under penalty of disqualification, are you certain of this?" He asked again.

She was about to reply in the affirmative, but something caught the judge's eye.

"What is that?" He asked her.

It was Mileena who saw it first, and she huffed out angrily. There, in the sand, there was an obvious, unnatural mound of cards with the red edges peeking through the grainy earth.

"Are those your cards?" Raiden asked.

"...Heh, how did they get there, I wonder?" Tanya smiled coyly.

It wasn't working.

"Disqualified," Raiden said, moving on.

Tanya's smile crumpled and she rounded on her partner in crime. He was just sitting there, not too far from the sloppily hidden cards. He had his hands stretched behind him and his legs out front and he seemed not to care about anything at the moment.

"What?" He frowned.

Mileena also approached him and said, "You got us D.Q.'d, that's what!"

"You need to take this more seriously," Tanya scolded, "You're acting like you want to get sent home."

Rain scoffed and gazed to the side, saying, "Would you two get off my back? I buried the damn cards like you told me to so I don't see why I'm to blame."

"News flash, Shit-For-Brains," Mileena snapped, "Burying them means not being able to see them anymore."

"Maybe you should've been working faster, wench." Rain said, "Then we wouldn't have had to bury them in the first place."

Mileena's eye twitched. But once again that day, she showed an overwhelming amount of restraint when she simply narrowed her eyes and quickly turned her back on the loathsome royal.

"It doesn't matter," Tanya sighed, "He's counting the cards, so we wouldn't have made it anyway."

"Disqualified," Raiden said, having counted Kuai Liang's team's cards.

"That's not fair," Kuai frowned, "Most of ours got burned by that _demon _over there! We didn't cheat!"

"It's true," Liu Kang vouched.

It was ironic, though, seeing as how he was the cause for some of their card casualties as well. Raiden tilted his head though, having heard the voice of Earthrealm's champion. It wasn't a surprise to anyone when he decided to be lenient with one of his 'chosen warriors'.

"Alright," Raiden said, "But I'll need to count how many you used."

And while he did that, murmurings filled the air.

"How come the judge goes easy on _them_?"

"Monk-boy shouldn't get special treatment!"

"If that were our team, we'd be D.Q.'d!"

No one was pleased at this blatant show of favoritism, but it couldn't be helped. Raiden got the tally for Kuai's group and then moved onto Ermac's team. He approached the host first.

"This is all your cards?"

"Yup." Noob lied.

"All of them?" Raiden pressed.

**"Indeed." **Ermac responded dishonestly.

"I only count fifteen." Raiden replied.

It was true, their statue was only 15 cards high. A shameful attempt, at best.

**"No, there's definitely 52." **Ermac insisted.

"Fifty-two?" Raiden frowned, his eyes glossing over.

**"You're counting 52." **Ermac commanded more than observed.

"I _am _counting 52." Raiden said tonelessly, his eyes still glassy.

"Stop!" Kitana suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

And it was as if someone turned a switch in Raiden's head; his eyes returned to normal and he blinked in bewilderment.

"What just happened?" he frowned.

Kitana looked at her two teammates reproachfully before divulging the facts to the god.

She said, "Ermac was manipulating you, altering your mind and forcing you to percieve these fifteen cards as fifty-two. He was...He was _cheating._"

She said 'cheating' as if it were a swear word, in a low whisper. Raiden turned to the host.

"Is this true?"

**"Damn straight." **

"Disqualified."

**"Hn. Whatever." **Ermac sneered.

Noob shook his head and said, "Just couldn't do it, could you Kitty?"

Kitana pouted and said indignantly, "No. I couldn't. I won't."

"Five seconds," Noob said, "Five seconds of keeping your mouth shut while Ermac and I handled business, and you couldn't do that? We weren't asking you to cheat. Just to let us do what we do."

"It's not right." She argued.

He chuckled and said, "You know what else isn't right? Being broke. And that's what we'll all be if you keep being so prude and prissy."

"Congratulations," Raiden said above all others. "For being the only ones who actually played by the rules, you three are this challenge's winners."

Everyone looked at the lucky team. With not one but two barriers, it was no surprise that Sonya's team came out victorious. She had not stopped in her steady work and actually used all fifty-two cards, despite having the immense distraction that was Shang Tsung. And as for the sorcerer and the shaman, they were both skilled at their respective 'arts', so maintaining a barrier for five minutes was nothing to them.

"Your team has been awarded 25 points, putting you at 125 total points for the week." Raiden announced.

Sonya smiled softly, but only at Nightwolf. She didn't even glance Shang Tsung's way. She already had that pervy smile burned into her retinas.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! You already know what to do, just go ahead and review and tell me all about what you thought of this latest chapter :) **

**Do you still want more? If so, let me know!**

**~DymondGold~ **


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